Last Updated on June 5, 2025 by ThePublic
Donald Trump’s latest blunder is a masterclass in cluelessness, as the former president’s administration stumbled into a laughable attempt to flex power they clearly don’t understand. In a move that screams incompetence, Trump tried to revoke security clearances from political foes like former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), apparently unaware that Kinzinger doesn’t even have one. This is the kind of boneheaded mistake that exposes a White House more focused on petty revenge than basic governance.
Kinzinger, a retired Republican who served on the Jan. 6 committee, was casually enjoying a barbecue with friends when he got wind of Trump’s absurd decree. “While I was enjoying the company of friends, Trump was trembling with rage,” Kinzinger wrote on Substack. “Well, it looks like Donald Trump has done it again, another petty, performative move designed to punish his perceived enemies, regardless of reality. Reports are circulating that he’s decided to revoke my security clearance. The only problem? I don’t have one.”
The administration’s gaffe is almost too stupid to believe. Kinzinger, who left Congress and retired from the military over a year ago, ditched any security clearances long before Trump’s team decided to play tough guy. Yet, in a display of sheer ignorance, they targeted him anyway, proving they can’t even check basic facts before firing off vindictive orders. “Revoking a clearance I don’t even have is laughable, but it’s also revealing,” Kinzinger added. “This is how a wannabe strongman operates—by targeting political enemies, real or imagined, with no regard for legitimacy.”
Kinzinger wasn’t alone in pointing out the administration’s embarrassing misstep. Former U.S. Army officer Alexander Vindman, another Trump target, mocked the effort on MSNBC, noting he hasn’t had an active clearance for five years. Calling it “Friday night theater,” Vindman dismissed the move as “noise” from a team running out of “cool plays.” The White House’s attempt to intimidate critics with nonexistent leverage is the kind of self-own that would make a sitcom writer blush.
Kinzinger didn’t stop at laughing off the blunder. He painted a damning picture of an administration too dim to grasp the systems it’s trying to manipulate. “If he’s willing to abuse power this blatantly over something so trivial, imagine what he’ll do next. Imagine what happens when his enemies list includes judges, journalists, or everyday Americans who simply refuse to go along,” he wrote. The warning is clear: a president this ill-informed could bumble into far worse abuses, all because his team can’t be bothered to do their homework.
The fiasco lays bare a White House that’s not just vindictive but staggeringly inept. “Trump’s threats don’t scare me. His insults don’t silence me. If anything, this latest stunt only proves what we’ve all known for years, he’s more focused on punishing critics than protecting the country,” Kinzinger concluded. With moves this dumb, it’s hard to argue otherwise. The administration’s obsession with settling scores has them tripping over their own feet, exposing a level of stupidity that’s as dangerous as it is ridiculous.