Chicago – September 14, 2024
Former President Donald Trump’s consistent threats to prosecute his perceived enemies – most recently this past weekend – are concerning to many legal and democracy experts, who say Trump’s own history shows he could make good on those promises in a second presidential term.
On Saturday, the Republican presidential nominee alleged on Truth Social that there was “rampant Cheating and Skullduggery” in the 2020 presidential election, despite numerous recounts and audits disproving his claims that he only appeared to have lost because of voter fraud. Trump then brought those baseless fraud claims to bear on the 2024 election, saying various groups – including lawyers and “Corrupt Election Officials” – should beware that after he wins the 2024 election, “those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted.”
The threat comes just a couple weeks after Trump circulated Truth Social posts calling for military tribunals against former President Barack Obama and for indicting the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. He shared with his followers another user’s post depicting rivals in jumpsuits, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“It’s extremely dangerous for democracy, this idea that the winner just puts the loser in prison, prosecutes the loser,” Painter told a reporter.
Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the press in an email that Trump “believes anyone who breaks the law should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, including criminals who engage in election fraud.”
“Without free and fair elections, you can’t have a country. Ask Venezuela,” Leavitt said.
The former president has previously suggestedprosecuting his rivals would be legitimate revenge for his own legal troubles, which include one criminal conviction in New York state court and three other criminal cases.
