President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he could have done “very bad things” to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama, but had chosen not to as he wants the office of the presidency to be respected and not become a lawfare mess like the Democrats were doing.
He made the remarks during an Oval Office event announcing automatic enrollment for eligible children in Trump Accounts, a tax-advantaged investment program he recently signed into law.
A reporter asked Trump what grounds Democrats would have to impeach him if they won control of both chambers of Congress after November’s elections. Trump said Democrats did not know, then pivoted to his own opportunities to act against political rivals.
I could’ve done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could’ve done very, very bad things to Joe Biden. I could’ve done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama,” Trump said. He did not specify what those actions would have involved. Trump’s remarks about political rivals came out of nowhere, but many believe this could be a tactical move as the president is usually playing chess, not checkers.
“I thought it was inappropriate to do so because you have to treat the office of the presidency with respect,” he added. Trump said others had urged him to pursue the three Democrats and that he had turned them down. He also suggested the opportunity was still available to him, combining that stated deference to the office with the assertion, “I can do whatever I want.”
Trump accused his predecessors of illegal conduct without identifying specific acts. He did not elaborate on what he believed they had done wrong.
Trump said he could've did bad things to Hillary, Obama, Joe… but they must respect the presidency.
Is he up to something in the background and playing it off?
Remember, he plays chess, not checkers, so what does this mean? pic.twitter.com/Q4d9qMVddT
— Frank (@drastic215x) October 8, 2026
On the question of impeachment, Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have both argued that a Democratic Congress would move to impeach him again. Trump pointed to the two impeachments he faced during his first term, one tied to a 2019 phone call with Ukraine and one following January 6, 2021. The Senate acquitted him in both cases.
His Wednesday comments echoed an argument he made several days earlier when asked about a possible third impeachment, that he could have gone after Clinton or Biden but considered it inappropriate. What he does with that stated restraint going forward remains to be seen. Share your reaction in the comments below or on social media.
