Trump news today: Ex-president owes National Archives more lost records as Mary
Former US president Donald Trump claims he can declassify top secret documents just ‘by thinking about it’
Republicans are once again rally behind Trump despite his controversial comments, this time after he seemed to make a death threat earlier this week against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
On Sunday, GOP Senator Rick Scott of Florida refused to condemn the former president.
“I can never respond to why anyone says what they said, but here’s they way I looked at it is, I think what the president is saying is, you know, there’s been a lot of money spent over the last two years,” he told CNN.
Other Republican Senators, like Susan Collins of Maine, say the tone of violent rhetoric in US politics is ratcheting up, to the point where she’s worried a member of Congress might get assassinated.
Meanwhile, historians are arguing Mr Trump may seek “revenge” against rivals and former allies like Florida governor Ron DeSantis if he’s re-elected president in 2024.
The debate on violent words in politics follows another campaign-style rally from Mr Trump, who visited Michigan on Saturday.
In his speech, he lashed out at journalist Maggie Haberman of The New York Timesand praised people like conservative activist Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who lobbied to overturn the 2020 election result.
Is Donald Trump plotting his ‘revenge’
If he is re-elected in 2024, Donald Trump is going to take “revenge” against his political antagonists, federal officials and even former allies like Florida governor Ron DeSantis, according to Mr Trump’s niece Mary Trump.
On a Friday episode of her podcast The Mary Trump Show, Ms Trump interviewed New York University historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, and the pair agreed that strongmen-style leaders like Mr Trump who find themselves in legal jeopardy will often continue to seek power to punish their enemies and avoid punishment themselves.
Ms Ben-Ghiat believes the former president will take special umbrage with Mr DeSantis, the most successful of the Republicans to parrot Mr Trump’s style and false claims about the 2022 election, because the Florida governor has reaped all the political benefits without facing federal investigations and impeachment hearings.
“He must be particularly upset with Mr Ron DeSantis who has learned all of his lessons as the most ruthless of the bunch,” Professor Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, said.
More details in our story.
Trump plans to take ‘revenge’ on Ron DeSantis if reelected, Mary Trump says
Trump once endorsed DeSantis, but relationship has soured
Josh Marcus3 October 2022 07:00
GOP won’t condemn Trump’s racist attacks
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida refused to condemn former president Donald Trump seeming to make a death threat against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
On Friday, Mr Trump criticised Mr McConnell for voting with Democrats on spending legislation.
“Is McConnell approving all of these Trillions of Dollars worth of Democrat sponsored Bills, without even the slightest bit of negotiation, because he hates Donald J Trump, and…
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