In the first three months of President Donald Trump’s tenure, his administration targeted dozens of former officials who criticized him or opposed the agenda.

In April 2025, Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate two men serving in his first administration, Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs, because they opposed his policies and corrected his false claims about the 2020 election he lost.

Additionally, Trump revoked security permits for advisers and retired generals, who publicly criticized him during the 2024 campaign.

In their faces, such actions seemed to be a coordinated movement of personal retribution. But with political scientists studying the origins of elected strongman, we believe Trump uses the Justice Department to attack his former officials, not just revenge. It also prevented current officials from resisting Trump.

Not just revenge

Like all presidents, Trump needs allies who faithfully implement their policy agenda. For most presidents, this means surround yourself with long-term friends.

For example, Don Evans, the business secretary of George W. Bush, worked with Bush for decades before becoming a fixture for his White House.

But to seize power, current leaders also need allies who will remain silent or better recognize their attempts to consolidate control.

In El Salvador, for example, despite a constitutional ban on re-election, President Nayib Bukele's legislative allies released his second campaign for president in 2023.

Recall that Trump left office in January 2021 alone, as major Republican officials ignored his attempts to overturn the election he lost.

Former Vice President Mike Pence faces threats of violent from a Trump-driven mob, rejecting Trump's demand to overturn his lost election. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger rejected Trump's plea and filled Georgia's ballot boxes with another 11,000 votes.

It is worth noting that the two first won political posts alone without Trump’s support. This means they don't rely too much on Trump to gain political power. Therefore, they are more likely to prioritize loyalty to the Constitution over Trump.

Attack Forced Loyalty

In the context of autocracy, loyalty is not an inherent quality. Authoritarian leaders do not necessarily choose those with long-term work experience, leading to mutual trust.

For example, during the dictatorship of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Trujillo, the head of intelligence, was deprived of Mexico's obscurity and began leading the dictator's suppression machine in 1958.

Instead, the challenge for authoritarian leaders is to find people to bid. The best people in this job are those who have won their position politically without the influence of a leader.

Unlimited appointees who cannot escalate political power based on their own merits have no choice but to stick to the leader. These people seem loyal, but it is simply because their careers are related to the leadership maintaining power.

A series of failed politicians

This logic, people with few career prospects outside leaders, express the greatest loyalty, which explains why Trump has appointed many political candidates who have lost their elections.

Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, lost his first Senate election in 2021 for Raphael Warnock, despite being briefly appointed as the U.S. Senate in Georgia.

Trump's Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins lost to Lofler in the Georgia Senate primary in the same election cycle.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino lost the 2016 primary race in a congressional seat in a sprawling Republican district in Florida.

And, don't forget that Trump's nominee Jeanine Pirro is in charge of the politically vital Federal Justice Department. Her political career was derailed 20 years ago for being “planned to capture cheating spouses in the bill”. "She lost to Andrew Cuomo in New York in 2006.

Trump also elected two politicians, who served as Democrats Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., director of the National Intelligence Agency and secretary of health and public service.

For appointees who cannot win elections, the only power shot with the leader is unwavering. In turn, this dynamic motivation remains loyal to these officials even if leaders violate the law or order them to do so.

Attempts to vote out of thin air for the president or grab ballot boxes in opposition areas are more likely to succeed when leaders include loyalists in charge of federal law enforcement.

The Trump administration's attacks on former Republican officials who criticized him, such as Taylor and Krebs, have strengthened the dynamic. If they oppose Trump or refuse to enforce illegal orders, they will send a signal to current Justice Department officials of future punishment.

Attacks also target opposition

Of course, the Trump administration’s political attacks did not stop with officials who failed in his last administration.

They have expanded to include independent institutions including universities, nonprofit media and law firms.

As the study of authoritarian regimes has shown, the purpose of attacking independent institutions in this way is to undermine their ability to resist the incumbent government's attempt to cheat in future elections.

After Hungarian leader Viktor Orban rewrites his country's constitution and curbs it in court, he changed the election rules to ensure he won reelection in 2022. Along the way, Orban forced the entire university to be exiled after failing to conquer.

In this way, the incumbent acts of retribution against those and organizations who oppose their agenda to strengthen their allies’ loyalty. They also undermine and weaken their opponents and ultimately promote the incumbent efforts to consolidate power.