Donald Trump: 'We've become a banana republic'
Former President Trump addresses concerns he would seek retribution for 'lawfare' waged against him by Democrats and more in wide-ranging interview on 'Hannity.'
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., recently revealed she's worried former President Trump would throw her in jail if he wins the November election.
Ocasio-Cortez spoke with podcast host Kara Swisher for her show, "On with Kara Swisher," which published the interview Thursday. They touched on the power of technology corporations — including Ocasio-Cortez's "tangle" with Amazon and tech moguls' conservative fundraising — Israel, artificial intelligence and the upcoming presidential election.
"I mean, it sounds nuts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy threw me in jail," she said. "He’s out of his mind. I mean, he did his whole first campaign around ‘lock her up.’ This is his motto."
Ocasio-Cortez said she takes Trump "at his word."
"I take him at his word when he says that he’s going to round up people. I take him at his word when he threatens journalists. I take him at his word," Ocasio-Cortez said. "I feel like what we saw in his first presidency was an amuse-bouche to what his intentions are. He has learned from his mistakes of appointing professionals, and he will not make that mistake next time."
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is seen in Cannon Tunnel on, April 30, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Trump said during a recent interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity that critics saying he would seek retribution were wrong.
"Number one, they're wrong," Trump said. "It has to stop, because otherwise, we're not going to have a country. Look, when this election is over, based on what they've done, I would have every right to go after them, and it's easy, because it's Joe Biden and you see all the criminality, all of the money that's going into the family and him, all of this money from China, from Russia, from Ukraine."
Swisher asked the New York Democratic lawmaker if she thought Trump really had a chance at winning the election now that he's a convicted felon.
"Trump does absolutely have a chance to win. That is why I have thrown my support behind Biden early and I support it vociferously," she said. "It is unequivocal that if Donald Trump wins, we are looking at the potential dissolution of democracy in the United States of America and the question about what would happen to me or the Democratic Party is a joke compared to the question of what is going to happen to our country."
Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sits in the courtroom during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 21, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/PoolAFP via Getty Images)
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Ocasio-Cortez also said she understands why there was a lack of excitement around President Biden.
"I think when it comes to presidential elections, and especially to young people, I understand the lack of support for President Biden. And I think the demoralization around the president has caused folks to sometimes tune out on down-ballot candidates that will actually advance more alignment with their interests. And so the answer here is to get into the game, not to get out of it," she continued.
Trump responded to a question during a "FOX & Friends Weekend" interview earlier in June when asked if "revenge" will be his "success."
"These are bad people. These people are sick, and they do things that are so destructive… If it weren't me, they'd be going after somebody else, and I know a lot of the competition," he said. "They wouldn't do so well."
Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.
