'Be very afraid': Columnist warns Trump plans to carry out acts of vengeance in 2nd term

If elected to another term in the White House, former President Donald Trump would likely exercise the full powers of the executive branch to punish his political enemies, according to a Washington Post columnist.

While on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Trump falsely asserted to an audience that because he was the victim of a political persecution, that gave him the license to do the same thing if given a second term. Ruth Marcus argued in a Tuesday column that the former president's latest authoritarian signaling should be a huge red flag for American voters ahead of next year's presidential election.

"In a motion to dismiss the case for 'selective and vindictive prosecution,' [Trump's lawyers] have asked Judge Tanya Chutkan to dismiss charges against Trump, claiming that 'Joe Biden pressured DOJ to pursue the nakedly political indictment in this case,'" Marcus wrote. "Of course, selective and vindictive prosecution is precisely what Trump and his allies are now plotting."

Marcus' column comes on the heels of a New York Times/Siena poll that showed President Joe Biden trailing Trump in five out of six must-win swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania — and only slightly ahead in Wisconsin. That poll also showed Biden's support among core Democratic constituencies like young voters, Black voters, Hispanic voters and women waning fast. While the election is still a year away, Marcus warned that Trump's surge in these states is a "hair-on-fire situation" given what Trump has communicated he would do if given the reins of power again.

Trump has previously communicated that he wouldn't hesitate to weaponize the Department of Justice to investigate opponents like former Chief of Staff John Kelly, former Attorney General Bill Barr, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and various FBI officials. He's also indicated a willingness to utilize the Insurrection Act, which gives the president the power to "to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions." Marcus pointed out that Trump attorney Jeffrey Clark — one of his co-defendants in the Georgia election fraud case — suggested using the Insurrection Act to quell any protests that arose if Trump succeeded in stealing the 2020 election on January 6.

While Marcus' column may seem hyperbolic, her worries are on track with conservatives' Project 2025, which is a clearly stated objective to elect Donald Trump to a second term in the White House and drastically expand executive powers to give him near-absolute authority to act with virtual impunity. MSNBC columnist Hayes Brown likewise warned that this vision is far from a pipe dream, and has the support of an increasingly large number of conservative voters.

"It is time to be very, very afraid," Marcus wrote.

READ MORE: Revealed: Trump's Project 2025 agenda aims for 'total control' of the federal government