Many have discussed a second Trump presidency revolving around “retribution.”  Trump’s Republican primary opponents have claimed that Trump, if re-elected, would be consumed with “personal grievances” at the expense of “real issues.”  Across the aisle, leftists have attempted to program the masses into believing that any form of “retribution” — more on what they mean by that later — would render President Trump a dictator.  However, both narratives contain easily exposed flaws.

The media have been champing at the bit to twist Trump’s words to advance their dictator narrative.  In response, Trump has given smart political answers in saying winning the election, as well as success, will be his retribution.  There is no doubting that winning and undoing detrimental Biden policies, similar to when he succeeded the Obama administration, would be one form of retribution.  However, no amount of politically nuanced attacks by his “fellow” Republicans, or mainstream leftist gaslighting, can alter reality.  Attacks on Trump are real issues that need to be addressed.

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley were predictably the loudest Republican voices echoing the “real issues” talking point.  DeSantis has said Trump becoming the nominee would make the election “about legal issues, criminal trials, and January 6,” suggesting that those issues, as well as people who have been wrongly harmed as collateral damage for aligning with Trump — such as January 6 prisoners who continue to rot in prison, or Douglass Mackey, who was sentenced to seven months in prison after the newly inaugurated illegitimate Biden regime raided his home for a meme he had posted five years prior — will never receive the justice they deserve.

As for Haley, after continuing to be soundly defeated in every primary election, including in Nevada, where she came in a distant second to “None of These Candidates,” she continues to point out all of the “dysfunction” that comes with Trump, essentially placing the blame on him for being the target of increasingly obvious political persecution.

Both were unique in how they demonstrated their lack of understanding of the seriousness of our newly weaponized government.  Trump’s entrance into politics began as a mockery but has now progressed into impeachments, indictments, ballot removals, arrests, and God knows what else to come between now and November.  These are real issues, and any candidate who suggests that these things should be “left in the past” concedes that he either isn’t aware of the legitimacy of voter concerns about these issues or is willfully ignoring them for political gain.  Either explanation is disqualifying.

Republicans ignoring or not recognizing these attacks as real issues is a wrong.  But Democrats’ current and most brazenly hypocritical instance of gaslighting to date is even more alarming.  Leftist TV panels can frequently be heard shrieking at the thought of Trump indicting his political opponents.  Yes, they somehow say this without ever noting that Biden and his cronies have already set the precedent for this.  They almost deserve credit for getting through their TV segments with a straight face.  But despite all their theatre, it isn’t “retribution” they truly fear, but rather accountability, and perhaps with good reason.

Joe Biden has presided over a blatant, unconstitutionally weaponized government.  His former (and likely current) boss, Barack Hussein Obama, began this tactic of American politicking by allowing his FBI to spy on an incoming president, which Hillary Clinton and her campaign masterminded.  Nancy Pelosi willfully failed to secure proper security measures in the lead up to January 6, prioritizing optics instead, which has led to the unconstitutional denial of due process for many Americans.  This was followed by an obviously biased January 6th Select Committee, which was recently revealed to have operated in a less than ethical manner.  When you consider all of this, and too much more to mention, it is no surprise that they are hammering the retribution talking point, trying to convince America that any instance of them finally being held accountable for their own conduct would undoubtedly be a product of a dictatorial regime.  The irony.

Despite their attempts, the truth remains the same.  The oath of office mandates that a president “faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and to the best of their ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”  That oath is broad by design, as each president faces a unique set of challenges at the time of their reign, and is entrusted by voters to be able to recognize, and determine how to properly address them.

Lincoln dealt with slavery and the Civil War, FDR Hitler and World War II, Reagan the Cold War and the USSR, and the list goes on.  There is now a new war that has begun inside the United States by those who have weaponized their power.  Getting answers from and delivering justice to those who have carried out these harmful acts on Trump, and by extension the United States, to prevent it from occurring further would not be a distraction, nor would it be dictatorial.

Trump would be just as obligated to attempt to fix this new problem, known as the weaponization of government, as other presidents were to fix the problems of their time.  In fact, Trump would be derelict in his duty if he were to not address these issues at least in some way, as he has already stated he believes that the problem will continue in perpetuity if not addressed.

How one defines retribution in political terms is ambiguous.  So how should we expect Trump to address this if he returns to office?  Last year, he pulled no punches in stating, “I am your warrior, I am your justice, and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”  Then, asked by Glenn Beck if he would “lock people up,” Trump said, “The answer is, you have no choice, because they’re doing it to us.” Further, during his post–New Hampshire victory speech, when referencing an embarrassing Nikki Haley celebratory I-came-in-last address to her astroturfed Democrat supporters, Trump said, “I don’t get angry.  I get even.”  Trump, ever the believer in “an eye for an eye,” in a business sense, to prevent misdeeds from continuing, seems to understand the long-term importance of how what has taken place must be rectified.

If Trump fulfills his constitutional duty in this regard, he will not be using government as a weapon for payback, or “personal grievances,” as Biden has.  Instead, he will be cleaning up the deeply rooted, decades-long corruption in government that now plagues America, which would certainly fall under “success,” as he regularly references.

No, Trump will not be going after “journalists” or “the media” or any given “political opponent” who has criticized him, as the media suggest.  Instead, he will, within the confines of the law and presidency, aim to protect America from enemies seeking to destroy it, whether they be foreign or domestic, as all presidents are required to do.  That is something all Americans, regardless of candidate preference or political affiliation, should demand from their commander in chief.

Matt Kane graduated from Stony Brook University with a bachelor’s degree in political science.  His work has been posted by President Trump and published by RealClearPolitics.  Follow on Truth Social: @MattKane.  X: @MattKaneUSA