Trump threatens lawyers, donors with prison for "unscrupulous" election behavior
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Former President Trump departs a campaign event at the Central Wisconsin Airport on Sept. 7, 2024 in Mosinee, Wis. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Former President Trump proposed two of the largest-ever federal arrests of people living in America, including U.S. citizens, if he's re-elected.
Why it matters: Trump is saying, with specificity, how he would increase the use of federal power if he returns to the White House. No need to rely on what advisers and allies say — he says it himself.
Trump, on his Truth Social platform last night, threatened to jail adversaries, including Democratic donors. "WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED" in elections of 2020 or 2024, he wrote, "will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences ... Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials."
- Trump, asked by TIME magazine in April about his plans for the largest deportation of undocumented immigrants in American history, said he has "no choice": "I don't believe this is sustainable for a country, what's happening to us, with probably 15 million and maybe as many as 20 million by the time Biden's out. Twenty million people, many of them from jails, many of them from prisons, many of them from mental institutions."
Context: Trump's public appearances have grown more erratic and incendiary, at a time when many top Republicans want him to focus more on substantive arguments against Harris.
- Trump's debate with Vice President Harris is coming up Tuesday night, and his new threat is a likely topic.
Reality check: Trump's claims of widespread fraud in 2020 have been debunked. Trump acknowledged in a Lex Fridman podcast interview posted this past week that he "lost by a whisker."
- Trump's statements about the border have been found to be exaggerated or outdated. His statements don't account for Biden administration arrests and asylum restrictions. An April report by the Department of Homeland Security estimated that 11 million unauthorized immigrants were in the U.S. in 2022.
The other side: Harris's campaign responded to the Truth Social post with a statement warning that if Trump won, he would "use his unchecked power to prosecute his enemies."
Go deeper: America braces for perfect storm of election chaos
