Trump’s Explosive Threat to Hillary, Obama, and Biden: ‘I Could Have Done Very Bad Things’

Trump says he could have taken ‘very bad’ action against Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden but chose to hold back Donald Trump/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Donald Trump has declared that he can ‘do whatever I want’ as president and claimed he could have done ‘very bad things’ to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, in a remarkable Oval Office exchange that has unsettled Washington.

The president made the remarks on Wednesday, 7 October, during an Oval Office event announcing the automatic enrolment of children in Trump Accounts.

Trump was asked about his repeated claim that Democrats would seek to impeach him if they regain control of the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections. When a reporter asked, ‘For what?’, Trump said Democrats did not know, then turned his attention to three of his biggest political adversaries.

‘I could have done very bad things to Hillary Clinton,’ Trump said. ‘I could have done very, very bad things to Joe Biden. I could have done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama.’ He did not explain what he meant by ‘very bad things’ or identify any specific action he believed he could have taken against Clinton, Biden or Obama.

Trump said he believed it would have been inappropriate to act against his political opponents because the presidency must be treated with respect. ‘Then I found out that they impeached me twice,’ he said. ‘And I certainly, even to this moment, I can do whatever I want, if I want.’

Trump: "I could've done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could've done very very bad things to Joe Biden. I could've done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama … I can do whatever I want, if I want." pic.twitter.com/xN6hiFNTaX

Trump also accused his opponents of doing ‘very illegal’ and ‘many illegal things’, without specifying which actions he meant.

He then returned to Clinton, Biden and Obama. ‘I’ve had my shot and still do at Biden, at Hillary Clinton, and Barack Hussein Obama,’ Trump said.

He added that people had urged him to ‘go get them’, but said he rejected that advice because of his view of the presidency. ‘I said no, you can’t do that to the presidency,’ Trump said.

Trump’s explanation centred on the office itself. He said he believed the presidency was a ‘very sacred position’ and that it had to be treated properly, presenting his decision not to pursue his political opponents as a matter of presidential restraint.

The two statements came within the same exchange, with Trump presenting respect for the presidency as the reason he previously held back while arguing that his two impeachments had fundamentally changed his view.

Trump was impeached twice during his first term. The House impeached him in December 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, including allegations involving his pressure for an investigation connected to Joe Biden. The Senate acquitted him in February 2020.

The House impeached Trump again in January 2021 over incitement of insurrection following the 6 January Capitol riot. The Senate acquitted him a month later. Neither impeachment removed Trump from office.

His latest comments came as Republicans warn that a Democratic House majority could bring another impeachment fight after the midterms.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has made the warning especially stark. In an interview with commentator Scott Jennings, Johnson said another Trump impeachment would be ‘guaranteed, probably on the first day, first or second day’ if Democrats win control of the House.

Johnson also pointed out that articles of impeachment have already been filed during the current Congress. But that prediction does not amount to a settled Democratic strategy.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said Democrats have not ruled out using congressional powers to hold the administration accountable, but have not committed to impeachment either.

The political stakes therefore extend beyond Trump’s personal grievances. A Democratic takeover of the House could reopen one of the fiercest battles of his presidency, while Trump is already warning voters about what he believes would follow.

Trump’s remarks have now placed Clinton, Obama and Biden at the centre of an Oval Office exchange that left key questions unresolved.

He says he could have done ‘very bad things’ to them, says he chose restraint out of respect for the presidency, insists he has ‘had my shot and still do’, and declares that he can ‘do whatever I want’. But he never explains exactly what he meant.

That unanswered question, along with the talk of another impeachment battle, now hangs over the final weeks before the November midterms.