Mary Trump, the estranged niece of former President Donald Trump, has issued a new warning about the potential consequences of her uncle’s re-election.
In a Sunday blog post titled “Revenge Served Hot,” she paints a grim picture of what she believes a second Trump presidency would entail.
“Donald Trump is a fascist and he and the Republican Party have put this country on a path towards fascism. If he gets back into power, he will care nothing about governing. All of his energy will be dedicated to grifting and revenge. And most of us aren’t prepared,” she says.
Newsweek contacted Trump’s campaign via email on Sunday for comment.
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump at a rally, Mary Trump attends a conversation about her book “Who Could Ever Love You” New York City. Mary Trump recently critiqued her estranged uncle on her Substack.
Dominik Bindl and Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The author and clinical psychologist, who is the daughter of Donald’s brother Fred, is a vocal critic of the former president. In 2020, she published the book Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, which was extremely critical of Trump.
“Donald Trump’s second term, if we are self-destructive enough to grant him one, will be focused on revenge—against his perceived political enemies, foreign and domestic; against groups, like immigrants, that it serves his purposes to scapegoat; against judges and juries that dared hold him accountable; against anybody who has not proven to be sufficiently loyal; and, of course, against anybody who has opposed him from the beginning,” Mary Trump warns.
Her concerns extend beyond mere rhetoric, as she points to specific actions, she believes her uncle might take if re-elected.
Among these, she highlights the potential weaponization of federal agencies against Trump’s critics and political rivals. “He could order the Justice Department to open a fresh investigation into a Trump critic or revive claims his allies have so far failed to substantiate, including accusations of corruption against Joe Biden that predate his presidency,” Mary Trump suggests.
Central to her prediction is the idea that a second Trump term would begin with a sweeping purge of non-partisan civil servants across federal agencies. “It will start with Donald and his inner circle firing non-partisan civil servants and hiring in their stead people who will pledge their loyalty to him, not the Constitution or the United States,” she states.
Mary Trump’s warnings come against the backdrop of ongoing legal challenges faced by the former president, including his recent conviction on 34 felony counts in a hush money trial and pending charges in three other federal and state criminal cases. Trump has consistently labeled these investigations as politically motivated “witch hunts.”
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told CNN in a June interview that there are “tortuous discussions” happening among intelligence professionals about potentially leaving the country to avoid being “unconstitutionally and illegally detained” in a second Trump term.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s one-time White House chief strategist, seemed to lend credence to these looming fears during a recent episode of his WarRoom podcast.
Responding to McCabe’s comments, Bannon warned that the former FBI official “should be worried” about being targeted if Trump wins in 2024. Bannon also discussed how federal agencies would be “purged” in a second Trump administration.
The former president himself has done little to diminish these fears. In an August interview with talk show host Phil McGraw, Trump suggested that revenge “can be justified,” in what many see as the latest sign of his intent to target opponents should he return to the White House.
“Unfortunately, the seriousness of his intentions is undermined by just how insane and unbelievable they seem to many people. But if there’s one person on this planet who doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt, it’s Donald—if given the power, he will have his vengeance,” Mary Trump cautions.
