Fear of rampant attack Donald Trump and the "enemies within"
The media, Nancy Pelosi, communists or simply "them" are on the list of those Donald Trump has identified as "enemies within" the US. Concerns about a new term in office are growing.
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- The list of those Donald Trump has identified as "enemies within" the USA is long.
- There is growing concern in the USA that the ex-president could unrestrainedly attack the enemies he has identified in another term of office.
- Some former members of Trump's advisory staff are also reacting with alarm and are even speaking of fascist tendencies.
Donald Trump's advisors are trying in vain to steer the Republican presidential candidate's rhetoric in the final spurt of the election campaign in a different direction - away from the verbal blows against the so-called "enemies within". But Trump continues to lash out. There is growing concern in the USA that the ex-president could unrestrainedly attack his opponents in another term of office.
"Either Donald Trump is in there brooding over his enemies list, or I'm working through my to-do list for you," said Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Thursday, commenting on her rival's repeated attacks and accusations. Some former members of Trump's advisory staff have also reacted with alarm, even speaking of fascist tendencies.
During campaign appearances, Trump has repeatedly expressed his dislike of fellow countrymen who he considers to be on the wrong course or by whom he feels attacked or betrayed. "The crazy lunatics that we have - the fascists, the Marxists, the communists, the people that we have that are actually running the country," he said at a rally in Wisconsin this month. "These people are more dangerous - the enemy within - than Russia and China and other people."
In a Fox News interview, host Howard Kurtz took the liberty of objecting that the phrase "enemies within" is a rather disturbing way to talk about Americans. "I think that's so apt," was Trump's response.
The former president has already made it clear that he intends to use his power to take action against the "enemies" when he returns to the White House. He has also not ruled out the possible use of the military.
Trump is usually very vague when it comes to defining his enemies: the radical left, communists, the state within the state or simply "them". But sometimes he gets specific.
Among the names that came up was that of Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives. The Democrat was a driving force in the two impeachment proceedings against Trump and a constant obstacle to the president's agenda. A fearless and vocal critic, she described Trump as a threat to democracy. She will never forget how she demonstratively tore up the text of one of his State of the Union speeches. "I think Nancy Pelosi is an enemy within," Trump said in the Fox interview.
Journalists are also included in Trump's image of the enemy. Even during the first election campaign, he lashed out at the mainstream media for spreading "fake news". Recently, the attacks have been strongly directed against the CBS news program "60 Minutes". For weeks, CBS has been the target of verbal attacks on Trump's rallies and social media platform - even threatening to revoke the station's license.
At a campaign appearance in Arizona last week, Trump then reiterated his all-out attack on the media from eight years ago. "They are the enemy of the people. They are," Trump said. "I've been asked not to say that. I don't want to say it. And one day they won't be the enemy of the people, I hope."
Also high on Trump's list is Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff. In the House Intelligence Committee during Trump's presidency, the man from Los Angeles was a fierce critic of the Republican. Schiff also played a leading role in the first impeachment proceedings against Trump.
"These are bad people. We have a lot of bad people. But if you look at "Shifty Schiff" and some of the others, yeah, they're the enemy within for me," Trump explained on Fox News around a week ago. And at a rally in California, he called Schiff a "creep".
The latter warns of the danger of a new Trump term in office. "We're seeing a lot of very erratic behavior," he said on MSNBC about Trump, "which would be fine if it was your crazy grandpa, crazy old grandpa, but this is a presidential candidate." Competent advisers have replaced Trump with "total sycophants", Schiff explained. And should the Republican return to the White House, "we must all do everything we can to defend our democracy and our institutions," he emphasized.
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