Trump Says He Could Have Done ‘Very Bad Things’

President Donald Trump said he could have done “very bad things” to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, but claimed he refrained out of respect for the presidency. He made the remarks during an Oval Office event on October 7, while answering a reporter’s question about what Democrats might impeach him for if they gained control of Congress in the November midterm elections. Trump did not specify what actions he meant. He said he had considered it inappropriate to act against the three Democrats because the presidency should be treated with respect. He also said he could do whatever he wanted and referred to people encouraging him to pursue his political rivals, while saying he had declined to do so. The comments linked Trump’s account of restraint to his two impeachments during his first term. The House impeached him in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine and again in 2021 following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Senate acquitted him in both cases. The exchange followed Trump’s repeated warnings that Democrats could seek to impeach him again if they win control of Congress.