Red lights are flashing brightly in Washington, DC.
They are the latest warning signs about former president Donald Trump’s declining mental acuity, as evidenced by his repeated outrageous threats and outlandish claims.
As you may have heard, Trump has uttered undemocratic, un-patriotic and un-American rants this week about targeting U.S. citizens whom he considers as the “enemy from within”.
Trump said he might have to resort to using military force against some Americans during a second presidency, as he deems necessary and appropriate, to eradicate those who he considers his political enemies.
That sounds like a blatant pretext for Trump to mass arrest, jail, deport or send to military prisons all recent immigrants (both legal and illegal) from countries he dislikes.
Trump may deem any political opponent— not to mention ordinary citizens — as the “enemy within” because of simply disagreeing with him on public policy issues.
Historical Context
Consider what some historical figures have said about the term “enemy from within”:
- “Our strategy is to destroy the enemy from within.” — Adolf Hitler
- “We always have to be aware of the enemy within, which is much more difficult to fight and more dangerous to liberty.” — Conservative British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (who worked closely with President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s).
- “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.” — Roman Statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero
- “Beware not the enemy from without but the enemy from within.” — American General Douglas MacArthur, who commanded part of the Pacific Theater during World War II.
All of the aforementioned quotes about the “enemy within” could apply to Trump in one way or another, it’s just a matter of context.
“Enemy of the People”
During his presidency, Trump frequently lambasted the news media as an “enemy of the people” — which is not far removed from “enemy within.”
It’s instructive to recognize that autocratic regimes throughout history have resorted to the same corrosive phraseology against the media.
Some countries which have weaponized their words against a free and independent press include the former Soviet Union, communist China, Nazi Germany, along with other Marxist and Leninist regimes.
This is the language of authoritarianism and totalitarianism to undermine the national interest and propagandize the public.
According to Wikipedia (bold added for emphasis):
- “The term in its ‘enemy of the people’ form has been used for centuries in literature. It is similar to the notion of enemy of the state.”
- “The term originated in Roman times as Latin: hostis publicus, typically translated into English as the public enemy.”
Business Insider points out that “enemy of the people” has ominous overtones:
- “Over the course of the last century, it has been used repeatedly by dictators and autocrats to delegitimize foreign governments, opposition parties, and dissenters.”
- “The phrase came into use in the modern period during the French Revolution. “Ennemi du peuple was used to refer to those who disagreed with the new French government during the Reign of Terror, a period during which thousands of revolutionaries were executed by guillotine.”
Trump has already said the broadcast license of CBS should be revoked and the program “60 Minutes” should be banished from the airwaves.
Trump has threatened just about every media organization at one time or another, including Fox News.
As president, Trump lost a court case in New York City due to blocking a user from his Twitter account because of expressing political viewpoints that were different from his own. The judge in the case ruled this was a violation of free speech.
During his presidency, Trump threatened tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter over allegations they were censoring conservative voices.
Looney Language
Also consider some of Trump’s recent ludicrous statements which speak volumes about his deteriorating state of mind:
- Trumped has claimed that the January 6, 2001, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was “very peaceful” and “a day of love.”
- Trump has claimed that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating their neighbors’ pets. And yesterday he said they could be eating other things, without giving a further explanation.
- Trump has claimed to an audience of prominent Black journalists that Kamala Harris “decided to become Black” for political expediency. He talked about it again yesterday during a podcast interview.
- Trump has repeatedly insinuated that American families will be eaten by the likes of movie character “Hannibal Lecter” due to an impending immigrant invasion if Vice President Harris is elected.
And, of course, Trump still flatly denies losing the 2020 presidential election, falsely asserting again and again that the election was rigged despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Trump is already claiming that the only way he could lose the 2024 election is if it’s likewise rigged.
Moreover, Trump will not commit to a peaceful transfer of power. The list goes on…
There’s no shortage of Trump’s looney language and behavior being on full display, which only bolsters contentions that he’s become mentally unstable.
Trump recently exhibited extremely weird behavior by dancing on stage for over 30 minutes to a medley of his favorite at a televised town hall meeting, rather than taking questions from the audience.
Warnings from VP Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris said the following Wednesday (10/16) during a campaign appearance in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in which she was joined by more than 100 Republican former members of Congress and government officials who have endorsed her candidacy:
- Trump’s threat “to use the military to silence political dissent will start with journalists” — who he has repeatedly maligned as “the enemy of the people” while in office and campaigning.
- “We know who he would target first because he has targeted and attacked them before: journalists whose stories he doesn’t like.”
- He considers any American that doesn’t support him or bend to his will to be an enemy to our country, and he will use the military to go after them.”
- “Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged…and he is seeking unchecked power”.
Harris also described Trump’s authoritarian governing style as fueled by “chaos and instability” which is dangerous to democracy as we know it.
Harris cautioned that Trump is “unfit to serve” — a statement with which many Republicans who served under him agree, from Cabinet secretaries to White House senior advisors.
“When you listen to Donald Trump talk, it becomes increasingly clear that he has no idea what he’s talking about,” Harris said regarding Trump’s recent self-proclamation, “I’m the father of IVF.”
As VP Harris predicts, Trump “will sit in the Oval Office plotting retribution, stewing in his own grievances, and think only about himself and not you.”
The Takeaway
Trump should be taken at his word. That’s because even though he’s not a serious person, the consequences of another Trump presidency would be “brutally serious,” as VP Harris often points out on the campaign trail.
In addition to Trump’s longstanding tyrannical tendencies, it should be obvious that his advanced age has led to a noticeably sharp mental decline. Trump would become the first octogenarian president during another term in the Oval Office.
Moreover, this time Trump would have blanket immunity from prosecution related to any official acts as president, thanks to a recent Orwellian ruling by the Supreme Court (for which Trump appointed three justices to cement the conservative majority).
It should be clear to all that Trump wants to trample on the fundamental freedoms Americans hold dear. That could begin with the elimination of a free and independent press as protected by the sacred First Amendment to the Constitution.
That’s straight out of the “dictator’s playbook” as experts on authoritarianism have warned. But Trump likely would not stop at journalists.
Trump has proven over and over through his words and deeds that he is the real “enemy from within” whom Americans should fear most.
In fact, if you have political viewpoints in opposition to Trump, the would-be dictator could also be coming for you if he wins the White House again.
Voters best beware.
Thank you for this article, David. The historical context to which you relate that which is happening politically in the United States is more than evident.