At a rally in Erie, PA on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris played a video montage of former President Donald Trump calling for the use of military personnel against his perceived political enemies, amplifying the threat Trump poses to our democratic institutions should he win November's election.
During an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, Trump suggested the possibility of using the military to address what he referred to as "the enemy from within," which he described as "radical left lunatics" who, in his mind, are more dangerous to our country than any foreign threats.
He said:
“I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people. Radical left lunatics."
“I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen. No, I don’t think — not from the side that votes for Trump. ..."
"I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within, not even the people that have come in and destroying our country, by the way, totally destroying our country, the towns, the villages, they’re being inundated."
Harris—who has continuously stressed that Trump fancies himself a wannabe dictator—decided to play his words back for supporters who attended her rally on Monday, which served to mobilize voters in Western Pennsylvania, saying:
"Please roll the clip."
After Trump's words drew jeers from the audience, she said:
"You heard his words coming from him. He's talking about the enemy within Pennsylvania. He's talking about the enemy within our country, Pennsylvania! He's talking about that he doesn't consider anyone who doesn't support him or who will not bend to his will an enemy of our country."
"It's a serious issue that he's saying that he would use the military to go after them. Think about this and we know who he would target because he has attacked them before: journalists whose stories he doesn't like, election officials who refuse to cheat by filling extra votes and finding extra votes for him, judges who insist on following the law instead of bending to his will."
"This is among the reasons I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America and dangerous. Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged.”
You can watch what happened in the video below.
Trump's words were used to startling effect—and Harris's reaction, people pointed out, said it all.
On Monday, Harris's campaign released a new ad titled "Enemy Within," which highlights Trump’s recent remarks and features two of his former national security aides, Olivia Troye and Kevin Carroll. In the ad, Troye recalls an instance where Trump allegedly suggested shooting people in the streets.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Harris also continues to accuse Trump of avoiding standard campaign activities, such as participating in a 60 Minutes interview. Over the weekend, she released her medical records, showing her in "excellent health," and used a rally to question why Trump has not done the same.
She said:
"It makes you wonder, why does his staff want him to hide away? One must question, are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what’s going on?”
Ahead of her Pennsylvania rally, Harris released a statement emphasizing that Trump's remarks about using the military against the people should “alarm every American.” Trump has previously claimed he would be a dictator on "day one" and called for the termination of the Constitution.
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