WASHINGTON: Republican presidential contender Donald Trump posted a poll on Truth Social on Tuesday, highlighting that the word voters most associate with a potential second term under his command is “revenge.”
With campaigning ramping up ahead of the first Republican nomination contest, the post followed a separate Truth Social message on Christmas Day, in which the former president called on his political opponents to “rot in hell.”
The fact Trump re-posted the poll, presented in the form of a word cloud with “revenge” placed centrally in bright red capital letters, suggests his self-described “retribution” agenda is very much on his mind as the United States heads into an election year.
The poll was conducted by British pollster J.L. Partners.
Trump and many of his allies have been pledging to investigate, incarcerate and otherwise take revenge on his political opponents if he wins the 2024 presidential election in a likely re-match against Democratic President Joe Biden.
Facing dozens of federal charges, many related to his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss, Trump claims he is himself the victim of a revenge campaign orchestrated by Biden and his Justice Department.
Trump, 77, the clear frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, denies any wrongdoing.
Earlier in December, former Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Kash Patel, both of whom are still close to the former president, said on a podcast that Trump was “dead serious” about exacting revenge against perceived enemies.
Trump himself has repeatedly promised retribution against his political opponents during a potential second term, suggesting he would direct federal law enforcement agencies to investigate foes.
In an interview with conservative media personality Sean Hannity earlier in December, Trump pledged not to abuse his power or become a dictator “except on day one.”
Taken together, Trump’s comments portend a rough-and-tumble election season. The Iowa caucus, which kicks off the Republican presidential nominating contest, is set for Jan. 15, and Trump and his allies will be hosting a slew of campaign events in the state starting Jan. 3.
Trump’s main rivals for the Republican nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, will also be campaigning hard in Iowa and the second nominating state of New Hampshire in coming days.
In the Tuesday social media post, Trump shared the results of a poll commissioned by DailyMail.com, in which voters were asked to provide a word they most associate with Trump’s plans for a second term.
The results, presented in the form of a word cloud, indicated that “revenge” was the most popular choice. “Power,” “dictatorship,” “economy” and “America” rounded off the top five.
In the Dec. 25 Truth Social post, Trump directed his attacks toward those who disagreed with him politically, whom he called “thugs.”
“MAY THEY ROT IN HELL,” Trump wrote. “AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!“
A representative for the Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a Dec. 21 memo, Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez portrayed Trump’s candidacy as a threat to democracy.
“He is running a campaign on revenge and retribution – and at the expense of Americans’ freedoms,” she wrote.
Trump shares poll showing voters associate potential second term with ‘revenge’
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Trump shares poll showing voters associate potential second term with ‘revenge’
- Trump claims he is himself the victim of a revenge campaign orchestrated by Biden and his Justice Department
Britain needs to step up defense spending faster, says Starmer
- Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30
LONDON: Britain should step up and accelerate its defense spending, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, following a report that the government was considering bringing forward its target to spend 3 percent of economic output on defense.
Britain, which has warned of the risks posed by Russia, said in February 2025 that it would lift annual defense spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP by 2027 and aim for 3 percent in the next Parliament, which is expected to begin after an election due in 2029.
The BBC reported that the government was now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029. It said no decision had been taken but the government recognized current plans would not cover rising defense costs.
HIGHLIGHT
The BBC reported that the government is now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029.
Asked whether he would bring the target forward to 2029, Starmer echoed comments he made at the Munich Security Conference, where he said Europe had united to support Ukraine with the supply of weapons and munitions and to strengthen military readiness.
“We need to step up. That means on defense spending, we need to go faster,” Starmer told reporters on Monday. “We’ve obviously made commitments already in relation to that, but it goes beyond just how much you spend.”
Latest NATO estimates show that Britain spent 2.3 percent of the GDP on defense in 2024, above the alliance’s 2 percent guideline. But like other European countries, it has faced US pressure to spend more to protect the continent. Struggling with high debt and spending commitments, the government last year cut its international aid budget to fund the hike in defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP but is yet to publish an investment plan with spending priorities, something that has frustrated the defense industry.
Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has struggled to stay on track with her plans to repair the public finances. The BBC said the Finance Ministry was believed to be cautious about the new defense spending proposals.
A government spokesperson said Britain was “delivering the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War.”
