‘They’re Coming for You:’ Donald Trump News This Week Includes Ominous Warnings as a New Age in Politics Begins
In Donald Trump news, everything's coming up thorns instead of roses. From a Mar-a-Lago raid to the House receiving his
Ellie Mason
In Donald Trump news, everything's coming up thorns instead of roses.
From a Mar-a-Lago raid to the House receiving his tax records, a court deposition in New York and the possibility of a mole in his own sacred home – former President Donald Trump is facing a plethora of "bad" this week.
From his perch among the doom and gloom, Trump is rallying his suit-and-tie allies to stoke the fears and anger of his supporters, similar to what happened in the lead-up before January 6. And through surrogates, Trump is warning his supporters of what's in store if the Department of Justice continues on its path.
Trump Allies Issue Warnings and Threats Over Mar-a-Lago Raids
Late Monday, the FBI showed up to Trump's Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. The sprawling mansion and golf course has been Trump's home in exile after he left the White House hot off the controversy of January 6 and the swearing-in of his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
But Monday it became the target of a Department of Justice search warrant, and boxes of documents were seized. It's unclear what alleged crime the DOJ seizure was related to, but there are several investigations currently focusing on or around Trump.
Trump has taken to Truth Social to claim that not only did the DOJ know about the documents he had, but that the DOJ and Trump lawyers had been in talks about the storage of the documents and had satisfied the requirements for keeping them safe by adding a "second lock," which he claims they broke when they seized the documents.
But Trump may not have the right to those records at all, as the warrant would suggest. While a president can declassify anything he or she wants, it has to be done during the presidency. And at the time he left, Trump appears to have not declassified the documents he possesses. By the time he left Washington, he no longer had the power to do so.
The speed with which DOJ agents worked suggests that they were passed information from the inside that made them feel as though delaying was dangerous, or part of greater criminal activity.
Unsurprisingly, Trump allies in Washington immediately sprang to his defense. GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has been under fire from Trump for holding him accountable for the January 6 riots, was particularly loud in his support, promising retribution against the "weaponization" of the DOJ if Republicans take control in the midterms.
Ted Cruz and others used similar language to warn that "they're coming for you" next once they get done with Trump – although why the government would go after citizens who haven't committed crimes is an explanation Cruz and others have so far been light on. Many referenced a conspiracy that Biden has hired 87K new IRS workers, suggesting that they exist to hound taxpayers. While the government is increasing hiring over the next 9 years, few of those will be IRS workers and the department is currently significantly backlogged processing returns and is unlikely to have the time to spare to target individuals.
The immediate uproar from Republicans loyal to Trump goes to show just how much the political landscape has changed recently. Once the party of "back the blue," they're now the party of, "defund the DOJ" and making public threats. Considering how many Trump allies are already facing heat from their involvement in whipping up mobs that attempted insurrection on January 6, it seems likely that Trump is exerting pressure to get them to speak up now – and possibly implicate themselves again if things go awry.
While it was a monumental milestone to, for the first time in history, have a former President's home searched by the FBI – that alone wouldn't change the world as much as the follow-up threats and warnings have been doing. Politics as usual are a long bygone dream, but this week's shift in public discourse has taken the country far beyond the pale.
See: Donald Trump's Terrible Week is Getting Worse By the Day
Democrats, On the Other Hand, Are Having a Good Week
However, while Republicans are roiling and choosing sides – not all of them are marching to the Trump tune this week – Democrats are having a relatively good week.
Progressive favorites have been racking up primary wins, and voters have been refusing to outlaw abortion when given the choice.
It's a bad sign for Republicans who hoped that their voter base would be big and influential enough to keep abortion restrictions flowing after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. But it turns out that even Republican voters aren't enthusiastic about abortion restrictions, and if they feel that their candidates are too far into the camp of restricting access they may not receive the support they expect in the midterms.
Today, a 61% majority of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases
Democrats are rallying, just like Republicans hoped they wouldn't, and Trump hasn't even thrown his hat into the ring for 2024 yet officially. If you're a Republican strategist, this week has you sweating – but that doesn't mean fortunes won't reverse next week. If voters feel like they're getting whiplash from the constantly changing landscape, they're not alone.