Trump’s Fascism Takes Center Stage In Closing Weeks Of The 2024 Election
Trump escalates his rhetoric, threatening military action against Americans and further dehumanizing migrants. His fascism remains the most important issue in this election—demanding urgent attention.
Thank you for reading! In the face of unrelenting disinformation, clear truth-telling and independent media are a necessity. We have to spread the truth as forcefully as gaslighters spread their lies. If you value in-depth analysis through a pro-democracy lens, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to my newsletter. Paid subscribers empower this work and gain access to exclusive community features. Your subscription makes a difference.
In comments that aired over the weekend, Donald Trump said something to Fox News Anchor Maria Bartiromo that every American should hear:
"I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within... sick people, radical left lunatics. And it should be easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.”
Trump specifically mentioned Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) as an example of an “enemy within.”
Trump’s allies have sought to spin those comments, but you read that right. Believe your eyes and ears. Donald Trump is once again saying that he wants to deploy the military against people he disagrees with. This isn’t a fluke. Invoking the Insurrection Act against protestors is an explicit promise of Trump’s agenda. Not only has he expressed this sentiment countless times, but this wasn’t even the first time he said this in the past week.
At a rally in Aurora, Colorado last week, Donald Trump said:
“We have the greatest military in the world but you have to know how to use them. You have to know how to use them… It's the enemy from within all the scum that we have to deal with, that hate our country. That's a bigger enemy than China and Russia.”
At a Fox News town hall on Wednesday morning of this week, Trump was asked about these comments by Harris Faulkner. She even played the clip of what Trump said right back to him. Trump completely doubled down without hesitation, claiming:
“I think it was a nice presentation. I wasn't unhinged... It is the enemy from within. And they're very dangerous. They're marxists and communists and fascists."
In the closing days of this election, Donald Trump’s rhetoric is growing increasingly authoritarian and violent. From his dehumanizing attacks on immigrants to his now open calls to use the military against the left, it’s clear where this is heading if Trump wins re-election.
Trump’s second-term plans are no secret. I’ve spent an enormous amount of time dissecting them in this newsletter and in multiple appearances on MSNBC. Trump’s Agenda 47, which directly aligns with Project 2025, seeks to replace tens of thousands of civil servants with Trump loyalists, consolidate power in the White House, dismantle multiple agencies, and unleash a far-right agenda that includes mass deportations, targeting rights, and seeking retribution on Trump’s “enemies.”
This is the central topic of our time and deserves all the media attention. Trump’s recent comments and new remarks from Trump’s former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, have helped move media attention back where it belongs.
Journalist Bob Woodward’s new book has retired General Mark Milley on the record making his most ferocious warning against Trump yet.
Milley told Woodward that Trump “is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person to this country… A fascist to the core.”
Milley went further, telling Woodward that Trump is openly discussing his plans: “He is a walking, talking advertisement of what he’s going to try to do… He’s saying it, and it’s not just him, it’s the people around him.”
Milley is correct. With Trump’s plan to purge tens of thousands of civil servants and stack the executive branch with loyalists, the people that will surround Trump will enable his worst impulses. When Trump says he will do these things, we should believe him.
Fortunately, the Harris Campaign has shifted into a new gear and has begun putting a more intense focus on Trump’s fascism. At a recent Pennsylvania rally, Kamala Harris played clips of Trump’s increasingly dangerous rhetoric and laid out the stakes.
In an interview on The Breakfast Club on Tuesday, Charlamagne tha God said to Harris about Trump, “It’s about fascism. Why can’t we just say it?” Harris replied: “Yes, we can say that.”
Using fascism to describe Trump’s movement is a big step for the Harris Campaign. It may sound alarmist to some, but Trump has been using overtly fascist tactics his entire political life, and now, he’s become so blatant in his fascist tendencies that it almost does a disservice not to call it fascism.
Many journalists have been openly calling Trump’s tactics fascist, including MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, who said he’s running a “textbook fascist campaign.” CNN’s Jake Tapper also did an excellent report on Trump’s dangerous rhetoric that’s worth highlighting here. This is important because Tapper has a reputation as a non-sensationalist straight shooter. Here’s how he framed Trump’s military comments:
“As a factual matter, stripping this of all adjectives and any bias, the Republican nominee is telling you that as commander-in-chief, he will contemplate using the US military or National Guard to go after his political opponents, including Democrats such as the likely next US Senator from California, Adam Schiff. That’s what he’s saying. And he is referring to his political opponents, here in the US, Americans, as the enemy, as scum, as a bigger and more dangerous enemy than China or Russia. These are his words. This is what he is telling you he will do if you elect him president.”
Tapper then went on to discuss Trump’s dangerous rhetoric targeting migrants and Mark Milley’s comments. He ended the report by displaying the textbook definition of fascism.
You read that and tell me whether that describes Trump’s approach to politics or if we’re all being hyperbolic. I think it’s a direct description.
It’s vital for these conversations to occur in the mainstream media, and I’m doing my best to play my part. Last week, before Trump made these new comments, I was invited back for a panel discussion on MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, Jelani Cobb, Molly Jong-Fast, and Jonathan Allen. We rang the alarm about Project 2025 and Trump’s second-term agenda.
I made a point for those doubting that Trump will actually go full authoritarian. I said that the most important checks on presidential power are the guardrails of the president’s own character, and Trump has none.
Compounding Trump’s total lack of character with the fact the Supreme Court empowered him with its immunity ruling, the fact he’ll be surrounded by loyalists, and the fact the Republican Party has gone full-blown MAGA, and you have a recipe for authoritarianism.
I’ll do my best to keep ringing the alarm about this and hope the media remains focused because Trump’s fascism is by far the most important story in American politics right now.
The stakes in this election are higher than ever. It’s not just about policy differences; it’s about the preservation of democracy itself. Voters must understand what’s truly on the ballot—Trump’s return to power would mark the start of something truly authoritarian.
The media must remain vigilant, and the voters need to inform themselves and vote accordingly.
