Former President Donald Trump argued in an interview with Fox News that he's worried about chaos ensuing throughout the country on Election Day, proposing the National Guard and U.S. military be deployed to handle what he dubbed as the "enemy from within." The narrative presents a continuation of the Republican leader pushing the boundaries on using American armed forces.
Trump's statements took place during an interview aired Sunday with Fox News's "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo. She asked the former president whether he was "expecting chaos on Election Day," particularly highlighting participation from people on the terrorist watch list or migrants who have committed crimes.
"I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within," Trump responded. "We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they're the big— and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by the National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can't let that happen."
Later in the interview, Trump explained that the "enemy from within," he had previously referred to "is more dangerous than China, Russia and all these countries," and that some politicians fell into that category.
The phrase has also become commonplace during Trump's recent speeches. During a rally in Coachella, California on Saturday, he used it to refer to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is currently running for the Senate, and is a prominent critic of the former president.
In Coachella, he also described the upcoming elections as "liberation day," comparing the United States to an "occupied country."
The Harris campaign was quick to respond to Trump's adopted rhetoric. Ian Sams, the Harris campaign senior spokesman, said in a statement Trump "is suggesting that his fellow Americans are worse 'enemies' than foreign adversaries, and he is saying he would use the military against them."
"Taken with his vow to be a dictator on 'day one,' calls for the 'termination' of the Constitution, and plans to surround himself with sycophants who will give him unchecked, unprecedented power if he returns to office, this should alarm every American who cares about their freedom and security," Sams continued. "What Donald Trump is promising is dangerous, and returning him to office is simply a risk Amercians cannot afford."
This isn't the first time Trump has vowed to use the military and the National Guard for domestic affairs. In fact, his top priority in his platform, known as Agenda 47, is to implement hardline measures at the southern border by "moving thousands of troops currently stationed overseas to the U.S.-Mexico border, while also pledging to "declare war" on cartels and deploy the Navy in a blockade that would board and inspect ships for fentanyl.
The GOP candidate has also suggested he will use the National Guard and possibly the military as part of the operation to deport millions of immigrants who do not have permanent legal status. But details of those plans have not been further released.
Likewise, during his first term, while riots and protests against police brutality were widespread across the country, Trump also pushed to deploy military personnel. But top military officers, such as then-Gen. Mark Milley, resisted those plans, issuing a memo that stresses that every member of the military "swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution and the values embedded within it."
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