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Amid the fireworks of his spectacular breakup with Elon Musk last week was a striking admission by President Trump that once could have led to subpoenas.
As he lashed out at Mr. Musk for disloyalty, Mr. Trump threatened to cut off the billionaire’s federal contracts in retaliation, effectively acknowledging what his critics have long said, that he looks at the government as his personal instrument for dispensing favors to friends and penalizing those who cross him.
In the old days, that might have been cause for a corruption investigation. In the modern era, it’s just another Thursday. Mr. Trump has long since abandoned the kinds of rules and traditions that would constrain a president from employing the power of his office to personally steer federal contracts to allies and away from enemies. And even more remarkable, he has no hesitation about saying it out loud.
“The Musk quote is just further proof that Trump and the late King Louis share a common view of the world: The state, it is me,” said Trevor Potter, the president of the Campaign Legal Center and a former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission. “And yes, this is an example of Trump publicly and improperly threatening to use the enormous contracting power of the federal government as a weapon to punish someone for criticizing him. It is a complete abuse of power.”
Mr. Trump’s second term so far has been a 139-day quest for “retribution,” the word he used during his campaign, one that has bent, broke and busted through seemingly every boundary of the presidency. He has used the highest office in the land to take revenge against prosecutors, F.B.I. agents, law firms, news organizations, generals, Harvard University, former Biden administration officials and, yes, former Trump administration officials who have made it onto his enemies list.
There has been little subtlety about it. He has sought to cripple law firms with executive orders that specifically explained that he was going after them because they employed, or used to employ, people who angered him. He has stripped security clearances and even security guards from former officials he deemed personally disloyal. Just last week, he ordered an investigation into former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s use of an autopen, never mind that Mr. Trump has used one too.
