How President Trump punished perceived enemies in his first 100 days in office

On January 20, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Attorney General to undertake a thorough investigation into the Department of Justice. The order is said to be aimed at identifying any evidence of political weaponization within the agency.

During his first day in the White House, Trump signed an executive order targeting the Department of Justice. The president directed the attorney general to conduct investigations in the DoJ to find out if there is evidence of political weaponization within the agency. 

President Trump uses state machinery to punish enemies 

I said this would happen.

Dissent isn’t unlawful. It certainly isn’t treasonous. America is headed down a dark path.

Never has a man so inelegantly proved another man’s point.

— Miles Taylor (@MilesTaylorUSA) April 9, 2025

The president also stripped John Bolton of the Secret Service protective details he had been offered by the DoJ. Jeremi Suri, a presidential historian at the University of Texas, said Trump has utilized the machinery of the state to crack down on people who have aggrieved him. Historians say that Trump has used the power of the presidency to pursue institutions that have offended him in far-reaching ways compared to any of the former presidents. 

Jeremy also said that it is not unusual for heads of state to have foes. He clarified that it is unusual for the president to use all the resources at his disposal, without excluding anyone, to prosecute enemies.

President Trump is said to have used presidential proclamations to pursue perceived enemies. Allegations have it that the president has stripped security clearances, directed agencies to investigate enemies, and blocked the perceived foes from accessing government premises. On his first day in the White House, Trump removed clearances for about 50 former national security officials. 

The officials are said to have signed a letter claiming Russia was involved when salacious material was recovered from Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Trump also removed clearances for Biden, Kamala Harris, and Hillary Clinton, the three Democrats who contested him in the presidential race. The president is said to be focused on the criminal justice system after alleging that his four charges were politically motivated. 

President Trump goes after law firms 

In recent weeks, the US President has attacked several law firms that once worked with attorneys he perceives as foes. The president said that the law firms undermined the judicial process by employing the attorneys he views as foes. In February, Trump suspended security clearances for legal counsel at the Covington & Burling law firm. The attorneys are said to have represented Smith, the former special attorney who was mandated to investigate Trump during his last year’s lawsuits. 

President Trump also demanded that all government work handled by law firms be canceled.  It is alleged that Trump sent the pen he used to approve the order to Smith as a souvenir. He has also approved executive orders pursuing five other agencies. One of the orders is said to be aimed at WilmerHale, noting that the firm once employed Robert Muller, who was tasked to investigate the connection of his 2016 presidential campaigns with Russia. 

Reportedly, nine law agencies have already agreed to avoid punishment by cutting a deal with the president. These firms are said to have promised nearly $1 billion in pro bono work on various agreed projects backed by Trump’s administration. 

The president has directed the Department of Justice to probe Christopher Krebs, who disputed his false claims regarding the 2020 election fraud. He has also ordered the DoJ to investigate a former Homeland Security Official, Miles Taylor, who anonymously wrote a book in 2019 criticizing Trump. When signing the executive decrees targeting the two former officials, President Trump called Taylor a traitor.

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