Sitting in front of a fireplace on New Year’s Eve, a battleground state official asked a relative to consider a grave question before they kicked off their celebrations. Would she be willing, the official asked, to take care of her child if authorities or allies of President Donald Trump detained her?
“You can’t be serious,” the family member responded.
The official wished she wasn’t. But, like others around the country who have crossed Trump, she was preparing for dire scenarios. She was meeting with a private attorney and security officers and was visiting a shooting range so she could begin carrying a firearm should Trump’s supporters take matters into their own hands. She had already lined up rides home from school for her child.
Such plans were needed “if I get taken,” she said. “I won’t say ‘arrested’ because ‘arrested’ suggests legitimacy to it.”
Around the nation, those who have crossed Trump are readying themselves, their families and their colleagues for the retribution that the president and his allies have pledged will come. Those who fear they could be targeted include election officials, prosecutors, current and former elected officials, democracy advocates, people who worked in Trump’s first administration and those who appeared ona list of perceived enemies written by Trump’s FBI pick, Kash Patel.
Interviews with more than two dozen people, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe privatepreparations, revealed the lengths that some are taking to safeguard themselves from whatever comes — if anything, at all. They are bracing for criminal investigations, tax audits, congressional or state legislative scrutiny, arrests, online harassment and physical threats.
More than half said they are lining up attorneys, a few are packing “go bags” in case they need to quickly flee, a couple are carrying recently acquired weapons, and several still in public office are getting employees ready to receive subpoenas or field interview requests by authorities. About a dozen have spoken to spouses or children about the steps they should take if police arrive at their homes.