Donald Trump’s Fascist Romp
AtlanticOCT 1 2024
Trump Suggests Using 'Military' Against 'Enemy From Within'
Image copyright: Rebecca Noble/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
It's important to recognize the series of dangerous messages Trump has been conveying over the past several months. A prospective president suggesting the use of the military against US citizens is the very definition of fascism, which should have no place in US politics.
Republican narrative
The Democratic Party has every institution at its disposal to maintain its friendly appearance. While Kamala Harris has an entire army of pseudo-journalists and "fact-checkers" to cover up her extreme tendencies, that same establishment is also used to conduct smear campaigns against Trump and his supporters.
Establishment-critical narrative
This partisan debate over who's more radical is ironic given both party's history of rapidly growing the military's presence in domestic affairs. In 1982, Directive 5240.01 was established, allowing the military to surveil Americans on US soil. Ironically, this directive was updated last month to expand this power to include the use of "lethal force" against Americans.