Former Attorney General Bill Barr warned that his successor in a possible second Trump administration would have to oppose the former president’s “abuse of government power.”
Barr, who left Trump’s White House on poor terms in 2020, claimed members of the cabinet would struggle to act as guardrails for the president if he’s reelected in 2024 — just as he and others did during Trump’s first term.
“Trump needs people around him who will push back and help keep him on the straight and narrow,” Barr said in a Fox News interview Saturday.
“During his first term, the main way that could be done is by pointing out to him how this would hurt his prospects for a second term,” he continued. “Once he wins a second term, I don’t know you know what considerations can be used to push back against bad ideas.”
Barr has repeatedly criticized Trump and does not support him for the 2024 GOP nomination. Instead, he urged GOP voters to coalesce around a candidate like former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who has shot up polls in New Hampshire in recent weeks.
The former attorney general warned that a second Trump term wouldn’t be productive, arguing it would be centered on political retribution against Democrats for what the former president views as targeted attacks now.
“One of the one of the reasons I’m against Trump as the nominee is because I don’t think he’s going to move the country forward,” Barr said.
“I’m worried that his style of governance, his continuing to pander to anger and frustration versus a constructive approach to solving our problems, is going to be chaotic and not accomplish very much,” he added. “He’ll be a lame duck president.”
Asked to give hypothetical advice to Trump’s next attorney general pick, Barr said he would urge them to stand up to Trump when needed.
“He has to be ready to say no and to resign,” Barr said of the hypothetical attorney general. “Trump has made it plain that he’s going to respond to what he considers the left wings’ ‘no holds barred’ approach by fighting fire with fire.”
“I think for people going into that administration. I think they have to be ready to oppose the abuse of government power,” he added.