The Looming Threat of Trump’s Revenge

Why America Must Take the MAGA Movement's Violent Rhetoric Seriously

Donald Trump and his followers want revenge. We should take their threat—and the possibility that their drive for retribution could turn violent—seriously. They’ve done it before.

The mob attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was many things: an insurrection, a riot, an attempted coup. It was also a Trump-driven bid for vengeance against the system that fairly declared Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Now, with Trump saying, “sometimes revenge is justified,” the MAGA movement is seething in its desire to conduct political prosecutions of Democrats and wreck our justice system. Their primary motivation? Trump’s recent conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York state court, decided by a unanimous jury verdict (some of whom were likely Trump supporters). The fact that he faces more serious charges in three other cases only seems to be energizing the retribution chorus.

“There are dozens of ambitious backbencher state attorneys general and district attorneys who need to ‘seize the day’ and own this moment in history,” says Trump advisor Stephen Bannon, who has been sentenced to prison time for obstructing Congress. Meanwhile, Florida senator Marco Rubio, angling to be Trump’s 2024 running mate, says Republicans should “fight fire with fire” against a “demented” Biden.

As with every issue raised by the madman of Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s complaints about the judiciary are based on intentional deceptions and manipulation of the facts. Despite the longstanding independence of the Department of Justice, he insists that his legal troubles have been orchestrated by the White House, including state prosecutions in which the federal government has no role. He also ignores the fact that in two federal cases, an independent special counsel—not the DOJ—is handling the prosecutions. Might I also remind him that Hunter Biden is currently on trial, and New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez will be shortly.

Many commentators and journalists have noted the danger in Trump’s revenge agenda. They point out that he and his allies will degrade the justice system and further divide the country by appointing prosecutors who share his agenda. Unfortunately, no one seems to be focused on the real possibility that political violence could accompany a Trump inquisition.

Having served on the House committee that investigated January 6, I believe the evidence we heard revealed that a mob mentality grips a portion of the Trump base. Some are ignorant of how our government works. Others understand it but have joined the fascist cult of Trumpism and will do anything to advance the cause of one-man rule.

I estimate that at least 10 percent of Trump’s followers are vulnerable to the urge for violence. If you consider the number of Americans who voted for Trump in 2020, this amounts to nearly 7.5 million people. Imagine how they will respond if called to demonstrate against a Democrat targeted by some bogus accusation. Federal offices could be mobbed, breached, and ransacked by those seeking “proof.” State officials could be met at their homes by gun-toting “patriots.”

If you don’t think my nightmare could come true, consider a 2023 survey conducted by non-partisan organizations that found nearly a quarter of Americans believe that “because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” This number represents a 15 percent increase from 2021.

Dig into the survey data and you’ll find that Republicans are far more likely to consider violence a political option—fully one-third believe this. Even so, this sentiment is also felt by 13 percent of Democrats. Given the growing sense of desperation among those alarmed by Trump’s rhetoric, it’s easy to envision mobs coming together to defend those targeted by him or gathering to confront pro-Trump forces. Given the prevalence of firearms in our country, what are the odds that clashes between the two sides won’t lead to casualties? I’d say zero.

With his zeal for revenge, echoed by officials who would have vehemently condemned such actions before the age of Trump, we seem to be headed for the type of civil unrest not seen since the protests of the Sixties. If this doesn’t persuade you to vote against Trump come November, I don’t know what will.

This brings me to the optimistic part. Ensuring the absolute failure of MAGA in November will be the first step towards putting this movement, and Trump, directly into the ash heap of history. This is in all of our hands now.