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A year ago, at his first campaign rally of the cycle, Donald Trump stood on a stage and told his followers: “I am your retribution.” At the time, the usual suspects claimed that this was just a turn of a phrase, not to be taken literally. At worst, they claimed that he meant electing him would be the act of retribution.

We now know that what he meant was far worse than that. Since then, Trump has admitted that he wants to be a dictator (for at least one day) and believes that if elected he is entitled to absolute immunity to, among other things, assassinate his political rivals.

It is no surprise then that since his conviction on 34 felony counts, he has shown a renewed interest in seeking revenge and retribution. Being held accountable by a jury of ordinary citizens is a grave insult to a wannabe despot. Revenge is the natural reaction.

According to NBC News, “Trump has done at least five interviews since his guilty verdict. In all five, he has talked about possible retribution.” This feels like a good time to quote Maya Angelou, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

There are fewer than five months until the election and the state of our democracy is consumed by a right-wing desire for retribution.

Over the last month, you can feel that something important has happened. A tipping point has been reached. Republicans who used to act like they had not heard or read the latest Trump outrage now show up at his trials and parrot his most vile lies. The GOP now openly extol the virtues of political prosecutions and disparage the rule of law.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it; it is very bad — worse than I would have predicted it would be in June 2024. The big question is how much worse it will get before the election and what it will look like afterwards.

For now, let’s get started. And, if you enjoy this newsletter, consider upgrading to our premium membership for $120/year and help support Democracy Docket’s team of 14.

You get retribution, you get retribution, you get retribution, everybody gets retribution.

Not a list, many lists. The last few weeks have seen repeated references to an enemies list — the individuals Donald Trump will target if he is elected. I doubt Trump has an actual physical list. Creating it would take time, attention and discipline — qualities Trump lacks. More likely, his planned retribution will come from multiple lists created by his trusted henchmen. Steve Bannon might have one list, Kash Patel a second and Cleta Mitchell a third. Trump will empower, but not direct the dirty work, giving him plausible deniability while getting the job done.

Some people, some groups. Trump’s retribution will not only — or even primarily — target specific individuals. Instead, those working on the right-wing Project 2025 provide a roadmap to categories of people and institutions who will suffer the fate of Trump’s revenge. They include:

• Civil servants: Trump is convinced they thwarted his agenda last time. They will be replaced by political loyalists.

  
  

• Department of Justice/FBI: Expect a purge and mass resignations as Trump takes political control of the agency and decides who they investigate and prosecute and who they release.

  
  

• Non-MAGA Republicans: Most have been purged from the GOP. Those that remain will be targeted from within.

  
  

• The media: Traditional media outlets are more vulnerable to retribution than is often admitted. Sure, Trump can’t shut down the press, but he can have the DOJ investigate reporters, the FCC tinker with its regulations and generally promote a hostile First Amendment jurisprudence in the Supreme Court.

  
  

• National Democrats: The Watergate break-ins will look like child’s play.

Petty grievances, petty actions. When people think of Trump and retribution, they immediately think of grand acts like arrests, deportations or mass firings. But an unrestrained president would have countless ways to harass his political opponents and sundry enemies. IRS audits, regulatory agency investigations and attacks online or in the media would punish his opponents and destabilize our democratic system. Small acts of retribution could be doled out by Trump to reward political supporters — and even donors — for their loyalty.

Criminalizing democracy. Republican legislatures have already accelerated a trend to make voting laws criminal. When Florida wanted to make registering voters more difficult, DeSantis and the Legislature imposed criminal penalties on violators. So did Alabama, Kansas and Montana. While the courts stepped in to block the most egregious of these provisions, the laws will almost certainly…

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