Trump's Hit List: Bolton Down, Newsom Next

Famed American journalist Bob Woodward has several books written on exposing the inner workings of the Trump White House. One is titled Fear, a nod to what Trump told him right after winning the 2016 election: "Real power is, I don't even want to use the word, fear." Instilling fear has indeed been Trump's chief strategy for dealing with political enemies. He never forgets a grudge, and he pursues retribution to the very end. The Financial Times ran a feature recently listing Trump's "revenge list."

The FT's Trump "revenge list" names the DOJ as chief enforcer, wielding criminal probes as its main weapon. First to fall: former National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Topping the list is former National Security Advisor John Bolton, a close friend of Jimmy Lai, who pleaded guilty last weekend and became the first name to be "taken down." Other names on the list will face judicial targeting in turn. Beyond settling personal scores, this ruthless campaign also aims to weaken the opposition camp. That explains why California Governor Gavin Newsom is the latest addition to the list.

Trump has a peculiar habit with the people he employs. Those he prizes and trusts as confidants one day can suddenly become enemies the next. Bolton is a textbook case. He pleaded guilty end of last week to improper handling of classified information. Trump once recruited him as one of his most trusted inner-circle figures, but the two fell out within just over a year and Bolton was fired. Bitter after his departure, Bolton wrote a tell-all book exposing White House secrets and trashing his former boss. That book turned him into a thorn in Trump's side.

Bolton is a China hawk, and that made him close with Jimmy Lai. He helped connect Lai directly to the White House and even met him personally in Washington in late 2019. After Bolton's falling-out with Trump, Lai suddenly lost his patron in Washington. Bolton himself soon became unable to protect even himself. Acting on Trump's orders, the Department of Justice searched Bolton's home, found classified documents, and brought charges against him. Knowing he was at the mercy of forces beyond his control, Bolton finally pleaded guilty last weekend.

The Financial Times feature notes that Bolton is merely the first enemy successfully "taken down" on Trump's revenge list. The list is long, and its names will be targeted one after another. It includes former senior officials, prosecutors, members of Congress, and even state governors. The newest addition is California Governor Gavin Newsom, seen as a potential contender for the next presidential race.

According to the report, Trump and Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche personally draw up the revenge campaign's strategy. Their tactics range from criminal investigations to efforts at electoral removal. The Department of Justice serves as the main enforcer.

Next in line to face criminal prosecution, following in Bolton's footsteps, is former FBI Director James Comey. He drew Trump's ire by investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and Trump fired him in 2017. Comey later wrote a book trashing his former boss, and the feud deepened over time.

Last year, Trump finally struck back. The Justice Department assigned prosecutors to charge Comey with making false statements and obstruction of justice, though a judge dismissed the case on procedural grounds.

The Justice Department, however, has not let go. It recently found a photo Comey posted on social media featuring the number "8647," and it is now charging him with intentionally threatening the president's life. The Financial Times reports that Comey is expected to be arraigned in September, with a trial to follow. If convicted, the consequences could be severe.

As for those currently under criminal investigation, the queue is long, and each will have troubles of their own ahead. The FT's list includes several heavyweight figures, among them former CIA Director John Brennan.

Brennan once bluntly accused Trump of being "obsessed with power" and suggested that the 25th Amendment could be invoked to remove him from office. That enraged Trump, who subsequently had the Justice Department launch a criminal investigation into whether Brennan lied to Congress and conspired to oust the president.

California Senator Adam Schiff and Representative Jasmine Crockett have also become targets. Both had called for Trump's impeachment, and both are now under investigation for alleged mortgage fraud. The man digging up evidence against them is Bill Pulte, a diehard Trump loyalist in charge of housing regulation. Pulte recently became Director of National Intelligence, and his successor is expected to continue the pursuit.

Under investigation on the same charge is another "enemy," Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Trump targeted her after she refused to support interest rate cuts on his command. Pulte accuses her of violating housing regulations, and she is set to face trial.

According to the Financial Times, California Governor Newsom is the latest name added to the "enemies list." The Justice Department is investigating him and his wife over alleged tax irregularities. Newsom's response: "They have not found a crime - they are simply trying to find one."

Gavin Newsom (left) is Trump's newest target, a jab tied to his 2028 presidential ambitions.

Trump's targeting of Newsom appears to serve a purpose beyond revenge. Newsom stands a strong chance of running in the next presidential election. If law enforcement can dig up wrongdoing against him, that would seriously undercut his momentum and boost the chances of whichever successor Trump anoints.

This "Trump list" offers a clear-eyed view of how American politics is riddled with personal vendettas dressed up as governance. It proves that so-called democracy, rule of law, and fairness can all too easily become nothing more than a polished illusion.

Lai Ting-yiu

What Say You?

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The US war on Iran is a broken record: strike, pause, strike again. Even Donald Trump can't find the off switch. But the real tragedy is playing out at sea. Thousands of sailors and airmen are trapped on carriers in brutal conditions. No return date. No escape. Their minds are fraying. Lives hang by a thread.

250-day deployment, no return date — sailors cracking, jumping overboard

Now US media reports a nightmare unfolding on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Sailors, driven insane by the endless confinement, tried to jump overboard. They wanted to end it all in the churning sea. Crew members stopped them just in time. They were saved from becoming lost souls in the angry waves.

More than 200 family members learned the truth and exploded. They confronted senior Navy officials, accusing them of treating sailors like disposable parts. The firestorm is just getting started. It will rage hotter. And it will eventually burn Trump himself.

The USS Abraham Lincoln left San Diego on November 21 last year. It loitered in the Indo-Pacific, then steamed to the Middle East just before the Iran war erupted.

That was more than 250 days ago. Since then, the carrier has barely touched land. A few days in Guam. A few in Oman. The rest of the time? Endless sea. And still, no return date.

For the 5,000-plus sailors on board, the agony goes beyond not knowing when they'll see home. The ship itself is falling apart. Toilets clog. Showers grow mold. Washing machines are dead. Even drinking water and food rations have been cut. This is daily life. It is inhumane.

Add relentless combat missions to the mix. The pressure is simply crushing. Everyone feels like they're trapped in a pressure cooker. Their mental state? On the brink of collapse.

Families Confront the Navy

The families had heard about the hardships onboard. They reached their breaking point. Last weekend, more than 200 of them held a grievance meeting in San Diego, angrily confronting Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao.

Hundreds of families grilled Hung Cao. Firestorm heads for Trump

A family member named Loma spoke through tears. Her husband was one of the sailors who tried to jump overboard to commit suicide. He was rescued, pulled from duty, and is now in treatment. The ship's grievance department reached out once. Then silence. She's had only a few brief words with her husband since.

Another family member told another horror. Her husband saw a fellow sailor climb over the railing, ready to jump. He shouted, rushed forward, and dragged the man back onto the deck. He saved a life.

At the grievance meeting, the anguish was relentless. One mother, in tears, recounted a call from her daughter. The sailor's voice was hollow. She felt she would never go home. She might die on the ship.

Other families turned their fury on Hung Cao and senior Navy officials. Why was the USS Lincoln's combat mission being stretched endlessly? The ship was due back in May. Now the return date is a question mark. The Navy Department has never offered a specific timeline. That lit a fuse.

Hung Cao's answer was shameless. He said another carrier, the USS Roosevelt, would relieve the USS Lincoln. But he never gave a concrete timeline. The families, of course, refused to let it go.

The Navy's Impossible Math and a Political Firestorm

The Navy Department stood silent, absorbing the families' fury. But it had its own bitter truth to swallow. The USS Ford, the other carrier that had been operating alongside the Lincoln in the Middle East, pulled out in May after more than ten months at sea and a laundry room fire.

Now, only the Lincoln and the USS Bush remain in the region. Carriers from other areas can't be rushed in to relieve them. And with the Middle East war still boiling, the Lincoln has no choice but to keep enduring.

The US Navy faces a brutal math: ten bottles, seven lids. The endless Middle East wars keep it bogged down. So even when it knows a ship like the Lincoln is overloaded and its sailors are on the verge of collapse, it is helpless.

This endless delay is crushing the thousands of sailors on board. If the pressure keeps building, it will hit a breaking point. Then sailors may start taking their own lives, jumping into the sea one after another in protest.

Then the families' fury will erupt like wildfire. This fire will ultimately engulf Trump. He will be badly burned and left in a terrible mess.

Lai Ting-yiu