Takeaways from Donald Trump's airing of grievances at the Justice Department

[Dulcinea]

(CNN) President Donald Trump excoriated the Justice Department prosecutors who investigated him and vowed to use it to target his own enemies in a campaign-style speech at the department’s historic Great Hall on Friday.

The hourlong speech served as both a victory lap for beating the two federal criminal cases brought against him by the Biden administration, and as a condemnation against any officials – some of whom have been fired from the DOJ – who touched those cases.

Trump is a departure from how previous presidents have dealt with the Justice Department. White Houses in the past have typically limited interactions with the department so that its work would not appear political. Trump, however, on Friday proclaimed himself the “chief law enforcement officer in our country” – a title traditionally used to refer to the attorney general.

While presidents have given speeches on law enforcement efforts and related policies at the Justice Department, Trump’s public airing of grievances was unprecedented. He took the opportunity to instead criticize the courts, rail against both his political enemies and the media, and threaten retribution.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/14/politics/justice-department-trump-speech-takeaways/index.html