President Donald Trump delivered a controversial speech at the Justice Department on Friday, pledging to "expose" his enemies and seek retribution against those he claims have wronged him.
The speech, which aimed to rally support for Trump administration policies on violent crime, illegal immigration, and drugs, also allowed the president to boast about his legal and political survival following federal prosecutions that had threatened his presidential prospects a year ago. Those cases, which included inquiries into his efforts to overturn the election and the handling of classified documents, were dismissed after his election win.
Standing before a crowd that included local law enforcement officials, political allies, and FBI Director Kash Patel, Trump cast himself as the nation's "chief law enforcement officer," a title typically reserved for the attorney general. He vowed to target his perceived enemies while claiming to end what he called the "weaponization of the department."
"Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice," Trump declared. "But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over, and they are never going to come back and never coming back."
"As the chief law enforcement officer in our country, I will insist upon and demand full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred," he continued, to cheers from the crowd.
The atmosphere of the event resembled a campaign rally, complete with upbeat music, crowd selfies, and large signs reading "Fighting Fentanyl in America." Trump's grievances were not limited to his legal battles.
He referred to prosecutors who investigated him as "scum" and called the case regarding his classified documents "bulls—-." He claimed that a "corrupt group of hacks and radicals" within the government had "obliterated the trust and goodwill" built over generations. Trump insisted that the country must confront these "lies and abuses" within the department and promised to "expel the rogue actors and corrupt forces" from the government.
"We will expose, very much expose their egregious crimes and severe misconduct," he vowed, declaring that "It's going to be legendary," and promising to restore "the scales of justice in America."
Amid his grievances, Trump also addressed the ongoing battle against illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl, which has become the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S. He pledged that the department would not rest until the fentanyl epidemic was defeated, citing the seizure of nearly 1 million doses of the drug by the DEA and FBI in just two months of his presidency.
Trump also threatened retribution against Mexico if it failed to curb the flow of drugs into the U.S., highlighting the deadly impact of fentanyl, which is often mixed with other drugs unknowingly. To illustrate the real-life consequences, Trump invited a mother whose son died of a fentanyl overdose to join him on stage. "I want you to know that we are working every day to expel these savages from our country and ensure that what happened to your loved ones will never happen again, so their legacy is going to be a great one," he said.
