October 30, 2024

Fears grow over Trump’s threats to political foes

Guardian - Donald Trump’s extremist attacks on top Democrats as “the enemy from within” and talk of deploying the military against political foes if he wins the election are stark signs Trump will endanger the rule of law in America, say former US justice department officials and scholars.

Trump’s threats – singling out ex-speaker Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and others as “the enemy from within” and “more dangerous than China [and] Russia” – jibe with his earlier incendiary talk of using a return to the White House to seek “revenge” against political foes led by Joe Biden. He also suggested the military could be used to quell violence at the polls from “radical left lunatics”.

Those comments, along with Trump’s adamant refusal to say clearly he will accept the election results if he is defeated, prompt critics to say Trump poses unprecedented dangers to the US constitution.

Critics call Trump’s campaign rhetoric especially worrisome since it squares with his efforts after he lost the 2020 election to falsely claim the voting was rigged, while scheming to overturn the results before a mob of his allies on January 6 attacked the Capitol as Congress was certifying the results.

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