President Trump denied claims that he is "weaponizing" the federal government, asserting he had ended "Joe Biden's weaponization." Within 48 hours he urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute former special counsel Jack Smith and later called for an investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar. The posts included harsh accusations but offered no publicly verified evidence. Critics say the moves illustrate a tension between Trump’s denials and his public pressure on prosecutors.
Trump Denies ‘Weaponization’ While Pressing Justice Dept. To Pursue Political Foes
President Donald Trump on Thursday pushed back against accusations that he is "weaponizing" the federal government — even as he publicly urged prosecutors to go after political opponents.
At a White House news conference, Trump defended his record, saying he had "ended Joe Biden's weaponization of our government," a claim critics say lacks evidence. He expressed incredulity that critics accuse him of the same behavior he attributes to his predecessor.
"If I suggest that somebody may be guilty of a terrible crime, 'Oh, he’s weaponizing government. Trump is weaponizing government. It’s terrible,'" the president said, referring to himself in the third person. "Can you imagine? They say to me about 'weaponize' — I don’t weaponize anything. But what they did to me, nobody ever went through what I went through."
Observers note that Trump’s description of what he "went through" is comparable to — and by many measures less onerous than — the routine experiences of accused defendants in the U.S. criminal justice system.
President Donald Trump during a press briefing on Jan. 20, 2026 in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House.(Win McNamee / Getty Images)
Within about 48 hours of the press conference, Trump used his social platform to call on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate and prosecute former special counsel Jack Smith following Smith’s Capitol Hill testimony. Trump called Smith "Deranged" and accused him of destroying lives and committing "large scale perjury."
"Based on his testimony today, there is no question that Deranged Jack Smith should be prosecuted for his actions. He destroyed the lives of many innocent people, which has been his history as a prosecutor. At a minimum, he committed large scale perjury!"
Two hours later, Trump posted another demand: that the Justice Department investigate Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota for unspecified "Financial and Political Crimes." The posts did not attach publicly verified evidence supporting those allegations.
Taken together, the exchanges highlight a contrast between Trump’s public denial of "weaponization" and his repeated efforts to urge law-enforcement action against political figures. Critics argue that urging prosecutors to target policy opponents risks politicizing the Justice Department; supporters say the president is entitled to request investigations when he believes wrongdoing occurred.
Context: The original report first appeared on MS NOW.
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