Former President Donald Trump defied his critics and repeated the phrase " enemy from within " to refer to certain political opponents.
Trump previously said that both Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) are the “enemy from within” and insinuated he would use law enforcement or military force to go after them. Given the chance to clear up his past comments with Howard Kurtz on Fox News’s Mediabuzz, Trump repeated his claim that Pelosi and Schiff are within the definition of “enemy from within.”
“Are you prepared to say now that you will not use law enforcement to punish or prosecute your political opponents?” Kurtz asked the former president.
“Excuse me, that's what they're using on me,” Trump replied before alluding to the classified documents case in Florida .
“They have weaponized the government against me,” Trump said, adding, “I don't want to do that, because that's a bad thing for the country. I don't want to do that. I don't know who said — I haven't said that I would, but they have done it.”
Last week, Trump on Fox News said, “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.”
Kurtz said his wording was "pretty ominous ... if you're talking about other Americans.” Trump responded that he thinks the phrase is “accurate.”
“What they've done is so terrible. Who's ever heard of anything like this? Adam shifty Schiff. He's a crooked guy. He's a crooked politician. 100% he's going to be a senator,” Trump said.
“Of course, he's an enemy. He's an enemy. He wanted to put my son in jail, and my son didn't even know what he was talking about. He wanted to put my son in jail on a scam that he made up called Russia, Russia, Russia,” Trump said before claiming that Schiff and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “Donald Trump Jr. will be going to jail over this.”
He then called Schiff “a threat to democracy.”
“We have a lot of bad people, but when you look at Shifty Schiff and some of the others, yeah, they are, to me, the enemy from within. I think Nancy Pelosi is an enemy from within. She lied,” Trump continued before blaming the Jan 6. attacks on the U.S. Capitol on Pelosi.
While Trump has reaffirmed his “enemy from within” comment did indeed apply to both Pelosi and Schiff, some of his Republican allies have been defending his comments. Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) said Trump’s comments were hyperbolic.
"I think it should give everyone pause. Nobody likes that, that type of stuff, and that type of hyperbole. But, let's, look, he was president for four years,” Sununu said on ABC News’ This Week. “Did he go after his political enemies? Did he weaponize the Department of Justice and go after Hillary Clinton? Of course, he didn't do that. He's trying to get his base riled up."
Speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the former president was referring to violent individuals, not necessarily his prominent political opponents, despite Trump confirming the latter. When Trump was in office, Schiff and Pelosi were some of his fiercest critics.
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"He's talking about using the National Guard and the military to keep the peace in our streets,” Johnson said.
"Trump is talking about restoring law and order," Johnson continued. "That resonates with the American people."
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