Trump promising a 'unity' message for inaugural — while being 'plainly and vocally bitter'
Since narrowly defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump has doubled down on his threat to take revenge against his political enemies.
Trump is promising multiple defamation lawsuits against journalists, and he has encouraged criminal charges against former members of the January 6 Select Committee — including conservative ex-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wisconsin) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).
During a recent interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker for "Meet the Press," Trump said that "unity" will be the theme of his inaugural address. But according to NBC News' Peter Nichols, casting himself as a unifier could be a tough sell in light of how polarizing a figure he continues to be.
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Nichols, in an article published on December 18, reports, "He remains plainly and vocally bitter about how he says he has been wronged by judges, prosecutors, Democratic officials and the news media. In the interview in which he called for unity, he singled out House members who investigated the January 6 attack and said they should be jailed."
Matt Bennett, co-founder of the centrist think tank Third Way, is skeptical about Trump's "unity" claim.
Bennett told NBC News, "No one has ever gotten rich betting on Donald Trump to do the right thing, because he never does."
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Far-right MAGA Republican and Trump ally Steve Bannon, who hosts the "War Room" vodcast, believes that Americans are in a bitter mood.
Bannon told NBC News, "We're not in a happy, clappy time. Kamala Harris' 'politics of joy' failed. Why? Because the lived experience of Americans is not joyous right now."
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Read NBC News' full article at this link.
