President Donald Trump is pressing for Democratic megadonor George Soros and his son, Alexander, to face federal racketeering charges, he said in a social media post Wednesday, the latest attempt from the president to leverage federal power against his political enemies.
“George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Soros has drawn significant attacks from MAGA Republicans for his long history of financial support for Democrats and liberal causes. “Trump would like to establish a mafia state,” he said during the president’s first term.
Trump has long called for prosecution of his political enemies, dating back to his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton. But throughout his second term, prominent critics of the president have been either investigated or charged by the federal government — from Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to John Bolton.
Former President Joe Biden awarded the elder Soros with the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s top civilian honor — shortly before departing the White House in January.
When reached for comment on the president’s threats, Department of Justice spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre only pointed to a section of the DOJ’s manual on “disclosure of information concerning ongoing criminal, civil, or administrative investigations.”
Open Society Foundations, the nonprofit funded by the Soros family, slammed Trump’s threat in a statement on X.
“[T]he threats against our founder and chair are outrageous,” the nonprofit wrote. ”Our mission is to advance human rights, justice, and democratic principles in the United States and around the world.”
“Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends,” Trump wrote. “Be careful, we’re watching you!”
The president has ramped up legal threats against his political opponents in recent weeks.
Trump on Monday suggested training investigators on onetime ally-turned critic Chris Christie, accusing the former New Jersey governor of lying about the 2013 “Bridgegate” scandal after Christie panned the Trump Justice Department in a recent ABC interview.
Last Friday, federal agents searched the Maryland home of Bolton, his former national security adviser who has since become a staunch critic of the president’s foreign policy. Also last week, Schiff formed a legal defense fund amid a Justice Department probe into his finances, which a spokesperson called “baseless smears” coming from Trump “and his MAGA allies.”
Trump also said he was firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, citing allegations of mortgage fraud publicized by a political appointee. Cook has denied the allegations and pledged to fight Trump’s moves in court.
