Top Trump Aide Reveals Punishment in Store for All of His Critics
Team Trump continues to reveal that the only thing on their minds for their first 100 days in office will be revenge.
Speaking with Vaughn Hillyard at Donald Trump’s incendiary Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, billionaire CEO and co-chair of Trump’s transition team Howard Lutnick discussed what went wrong with Trump’s first Cabinet and how he’ll ensure that his next is “the best of the best.”
Lutnick also dismissed Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly, former Defense Secretary James Mattis, and former Vice President Mike Pence, each of whom have deemed Trump an authoritarian threat, as merely “disgruntled former employees.”
“[Trump] thought they were generals. He should’ve realized they were Democrat generals. They moved against him. Think about this—Mattis, Kelly, and [former Secretary of State Rex] Tillerson met every other morning to try to keep Donald Trump away from what they wanted to do.… That’s treason, it’s just wrong.”
Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Trump’s transition team, on John Kelly/other former Admin critics:
— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) October 29, 2024
“Mattis, Kelly…Tillerson met every other morning to try to keep Trump away from what they wanted to do. Who elected them President of the U.S.? You— that's treason. It's just wrong.“ pic.twitter.com/iG5HgM5jpJ
Casually suggesting that critics of the former president should be charged with treason is yet another massive red flag that has become all too common within the Trump campaign. And while it’s beside the point, none of the aforementioned “disgruntled former employees” are Democrats. Mattis is unaffiliated with a party, Kelly, is a registered independent, and Tillerson is a lifelong Republican.
Lutnick’s threat aligns with the numerous other threats of prosecution that Trump has levied throughout his campaign. In recent weeks, he has begun warning that he’ll use the military to go after the “enemy within,” even naming targets he has in mind. And while some Trump supporters think that this is all just talk, others, like Lutnick, are taking Trump’s words and running with them.