Former President Trump on Saturday threatened to legally target Democrats over his 2020 electoral defeat if he wins the presidential race in November, making one of his clearest pledges to date to go after his opponents.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was fraudulent and rigged despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud, accused Democrats of "rampant Cheating and Skullduggery" in 2020 and said the 2024 race "will be under the closest professional scrutiny."
"WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again," Trump posted on Truth Social.
He indicated that lawyers, political operatives, donors, voters and election officials could all be targeted with prosecution.
"Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country," he added.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, which he lost to President Biden. He challenged the results in court, but those claims were rejected for lack of standing or lack of evidence. The Supreme Court rejected various election challenges.
The former president was criminally indicted in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the state's election results in 2020, and he was indicted federally in Washington, D.C., for his attempts to overturn the election results and remain in power.
"Donald Trump told us he wants to be a dictator on day one. He said he wants to terminate the Constitution," Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Vice President Harris's campaign, posted on X. "Now he's publicly promising to lock up his political enemies. And, now, he has the blueprint and Supreme Court to let him do whatever he wants. Take him seriously."
