In an inexplicable move, 2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose presidency the FBI attempted to destroy for over four years including well before he was even elected, used his Truth Social platform Saturday to call for a “new and spectacular” FBI building to be built in Washington, D.C.:
The FBI Headquarters should not be moved to a far away location, but should stay right where it is, in a new and spectacular building, in the best location in our now crime ridden and filthy dirty, graffiti scarred, Capital. They should be involved in bringing back D.C., not running away from it, especially the violent crime. An important part of my platform for President is to bring back, restore, and rebuild Washington, D.C., into the “crown jewel” of our Nation. We will make it crime free and GREAT AGAIN. The FBI should not be fleeing for safer, yet much less convenient, environs. It should make where they are now the safest place on earth! DON’T MOVE THE FBI!
Understandably, Trump’s statement led to speculation as to why he’d take such a position considering not just the FBI’s ongoing war on the former POTUS but also their targeting of conservatives under the Biden administration:
Some speculated it may have something to do with this:
I looked into it, and the plan at the time to build a new FBI HQ never came to fruition thanks in part to funding issues with Congress.
While it’s possible Vornado Realty, the “Trump partner” mentioned in the above Associated Press article, could bid again on the new HQ (which as it stands now will be based in Maryland), it’s unknown at this point if the process has even started or if Vornado would even be interested considering they have “largely pulled out of the D.C. market, having finalized its spinoff of JBG SMITH Properties.”
Relatedly, in October the DOJ’s Inspector General announced there was no evidence that the FBI based their Trump-era decision to remain in D.C. at the time on how it could potentially benefit Trump:
The Justice Department watchdog’s review centered around that shift in preference and whether concerns raised by congressional Democrats about then-President Donald Trump’s influence were valid. Democrats in Congress alleged Trump may have wanted to keep the FBI headquarters in Washington in order to avoid the possibility that a hotel might be built there — which would have competed with the Trump International Hotel a few blocks away. The Trump Organization announced in May 2022 that it had sold the hotel.[…]”With regard to possible influence by then President Trump or the White House, we found no evidence that the FBI’s decisions were based on improper considerations or motives,” the Justice Department inspector general wrote Tuesday. “Specifically, we found no evidence that, in making the decision to seek to have the new FBI headquarters remain at its current JEH site, Director Wray or others at the FBI considered the location of the then named Trump International Hotel or how then President Trump’s financial interests could be impacted by the decision.”
Trump’s surrogates and influencers took some heat in the aftermath of Trump’s post:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly vowed to drain the swamp if elected president, also weighed in:
And speaking of DeSantis, let’s imagine for five seconds what Trump’s influencers would be tweeting right now if it was DeSantis who called for a “new and spectacular” FBI building:
As confirmed by the Johnny Maga tweet above, Trump’s declaration about a new FBI building and having it remain in Washington, D.C., and with the agency having even more power is already being portrayed by some supporters as some type of 8D chess move. But I can think of no explanation that Trump can give to excuse away this bizarre call.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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