Shortly after the election, Trump appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” and suggested vengeance wasn’t part of his plans for a second term. “I’m not looking to go back into the past,” he said, adding, “Retribution will be through success.” The Republican president echoed the point in his second inaugural address, declaring, “Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents.”

I have some bad news for anybody who believed any of these claims. The Hill reported:

President Trump on Saturday doubled down on his accusations that former Vice President Harris paid celebrities to endorse her during the 2024 presidential election. The president, echoing previous claims that Harris paid Beyoncé, Oprah and Al Sharpton to support her White House bid throughout the campaign trail, said Harris and the celebrities involved should be ‘prosecuted.’

....But before that observation brings comfort to anyone, it’s important to acknowledge the broader landscape. The New York Times, assessing Trump’s intensifying campaign of retribution, reported last week, “This is what Washington thought retribution would look like."

When President Trump started his second term, there were deep fears among current and former Justice Department officials, legal experts and Democrats that Mr. Trump would follow through on his repeated promises to ‘lock up’ or otherwise pursue charges against high-profile figures like Liz Cheney, James B. Comey and former President Barack Obama. Mr. Trump quickly went after perceived enemies — but not always the anticipated ones and often not in the anticipated ways.

The Times’ analysis noted that the Republican has displayed “a willingness to weaponize the federal government” in novel and audacious ways, and there’s ample evidence to bolster the point. Just last week, for example, Trump falsely and repeatedly accused Barack Obama of “treason,” suggesting the former Democratic president should be prosecuted over made-up allegations. Soon after, Trump talked up the idea of prosecuting Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, too.

....I’m disinclined to look away because I’m mindful of the degree to which Trump has surrounded himself with loyalists who will turn his rhetoric into action. As the aforementioned New York Times analysis added:

Repeatedly in his first term, Mr. Trump accused his perceived enemies of treason and tried to push the F.B.I. and Justice Department to indict them. He told his chief of staff that he wanted to ‘get the I.R.S.’ on those who crossed him. Many of them were investigated, and two of them were the subjects of highly unusual and invasive audits, but none of them were ever charged. The difference now is that Mr. Trump, much more so than during his first term, is surrounded by aides and cabinet members who often appear willing to follow through on his angriest and most authoritarian impulses.

The Times’ report added, “The efforts to target top officials from previous administrations appears to be gaining momentum.” Watch this space.