Overview

• Former President Donald Trump, in a recent town hall, has backed off from his previous campaign theme of 'retribution', stating he won't have time for it if he wins the 2024 elections.
• Trump's rhetoric of 'retribution' had been a central theme of his campaign, causing alarm among critics who feared a second Trump term could usher in authoritarian revenge.
• Trump's new stance was that he would be too busy making the country successful to have time for retribution, stating 'our ultimate retribution is success'.
• The former president's theme of retribution, which was reported to have roots in old Confederate code, first emerged at last year's Conservative Political Action Conference in early March.
• Despite Trump's recent comments, he has previously made multiple comments regarding retribution against opponents during his first term that sought to take him down.