Late Friday night, Trump issued a memo ordering all executive departments and agencies to strip certain individuals of their security access. That means no more classified briefings—like the President’s Daily Brief—for these people, and no more access to sensitive government information.
While this move was partly payback against Biden for doing the same to him in 2021, Trump expanded the order to include “any other member of the Biden family” and a list of political and legal figures who have gone after him. Among them: former Republican lawmakers Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who were part of the January 6 panel, as well as New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg—both of whom played key roles in prosecuting Trump. Also on the list? Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and even policy experts like Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman.
Trump’s desire for payback has been a running theme of his second presidency, dating back to when he first took office in 2017. He’s long seen himself as an outsider battling Washington’s elite—people who, in his view, never accepted him. His supporters were dismissed as “deplorables,” and he himself was labeled a “Russian stooge” or “Putin’s puppet.” During his 2024 campaign, he leaned into the narrative, telling supporters: “I am your warrior. I am your justice. For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”
At one point, he suggested that the best revenge would be simply making America great again. But it’s clear that old grudges die hard. As far back as 1992, Trump told interviewer Charlie Rose, “I love getting even with people”—and he’s still living by that philosophy.
In the past few days, his actions have sent shockwaves through Washington. On Friday, a top Democratic law firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison known for fighting Trump in major cases essentially waved the white flag. The firm, which made $2.63 billion in revenue last year, agreed to a truce that includes pledging $40 million in free legal services for causes Trump supports.
Meanwhile, Columbia University found itself in Trump’s crosshairs after he pulled $400 million in federal grants over claims that the school tolerated pro-Hamas protests and antisemitism. In response, Columbia caved agreeing to ban face masks, hire three dozen campus police officers with arrest powers, and appoint a new senior provost to oversee Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies departments, which MAGA activists claim are hotbeds of antisemitic activism.
Other universities and institutions are feeling the pressure, too. Many have been warned to abandon DEI policies, keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports, and crack down on antisemitism or risk losing funding. Most are falling in line.
Even longtime Trump critics in the media are showing signs of surrender. On Friday, liberal comedian Bill Magherafelt who has feuded with Trump for years announced that he’s set to meet with the President. The truce was reportedly brokered by none other than entertainer Kid Rock. Maher and Trump’s beef dates back to when Maher jokingly offered $5 million if Trump could prove he wasn’t the offspring of an orangutan a dig at Trump’s birtherism claims against Obama. Trump, taking it seriously, actually produced his birth certificate and even sued Maher before eventually dropping the case.
Now, with Trump back in power, it seems many of his old adversaries are scrambling to mend fences.
Fear and Fury: Trump’s Payback Reshapes America’s Political Landscape
