Lawlessness and disorder: The hypocrisy of Donald Trump’s exile threats after the Jan. 6 pardons
In 2020, in response to the riots that followed the , Donald Trump declared himself the .” During the same speech, he threatened to use the military to suppress the civil unrest that erupted after a police officer killed Floyd.
One American pundit argued that Trump was
His fixation continues in his second presidency. , Trump recently proposed a plan to exile . Notably, America has never used exile as a form of punishment.
:
“We’re going to get approval, hopefully, to get them the hell out of our country, along with others. Let them be brought to a foreign land and maintained by others for a very small fee, as opposed to being maintained in our jails for massive amounts of money.”
The history of exile
I’m a scholar in public policy administration, law and ethics. Trump’s exile proposals in the wake of reveal significant ethical lapses.
In the modern era, exile is regarded as problematic. But in ancient times, , voluntary exile was an alternative to capital punishment, underscoring its severity.
When .”
Similarly, in England, James II, a Catholic king, was the last monarch involuntarily removed from power during the . , the political movement aimed at restoring James and his descendants to the throne, stemmed from his exile.
Given this history, it’s not surprising that states: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.”
In modern times, people who go into exile are typically like Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, those avoiding legal issues such as or , or those escaping violence or persecution, such as .
Trump, who has , has made clear he wants :
“I don’t want these violent repeat offenders in our country any more than I want illegal aliens from other countries who misbehave,” he said.
The Jan. 6 pardons
Trump’s stance as a “law and order” president is contradictory and hypocritical on his first day back in the Oval Office.
The pardons drew and some , including senators and .
Even Vice President J.D. Vance has said any Jan. 6 rioters convicted of .
The — the actual front line of law and order — also expressed outrage at the pardons, and to lawlessness and disorder rather than Trump’s supposedly preferred state of law and order.
Polls reveal that Jan. 6 rioters who committed violent crimes.
. Of the 174 charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon, .
Other charges included trespassing, disrupting Congress, theft, weapons offences, making threats and conspiracy, including seditious conspiracy — the most serious offence.
Repeat offenders
, including who died at the event.
Unlike those whose Black Lives Matter protests Trump found disorderly back in 2020, the vast majority of the Jan. 6 convicts are not from racialized communities.
, including child abuse, child pornography, predatory criminal assault of a child, rape, drug trafficking, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of controlled substances, battery, criminal confinement and manslaughter. Peter Schwartz, one of rioters,
The irony of Trump’s position on pardons, repeat offenders and exiles is apparent. The very people he pardoned are now potential candidates for his proposed exile program due to their repeat offender status.
Daniel Ball, a pardoned rioter, was . The charges predated the riots.
and in possession of a firearm. His uncle, Dale Huttle, also pardoned, has no regrets about participating in the riot, stating: “
Similarly, Enrique Tarrio, who received a 22-year prison sentence for his role in the riots, declared after his pardon: .”
He expressed a desire for vengeance against those who investigated and prosecuted him, stating: “.” These three examples all occurred in the seven days following the pardons.
Karma in terms of Trump’s exile proposals may be awaiting the pardoned rioters, however, amid this pattern of defiance. Their emboldened sentiments following Trump’s pardons could suggest they’re at a higher risk of becoming repeat offenders, making them prime candidates for the president’s proposed exile program — that is, of course, unless he pardons them again.
By Associate Professor , Administrative Studies, 91ɫ
