To say that former US President Donald Trump is a divisive leader would be an understatement of epic proportions. However, criticism of his previous policies and actions hasn’t made him pivot from them.
In fact, he has doubled down on his rhetoric and called specific groups of people an abominable word- “vermin.” This has shocked the whole world entirely. But who are these people Trump despises?
At a Veterans Day rally held in Claremont, New Hampshire, former US President Donald Trump referred to “the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left” as “vermin.” His comment has received criticism, as many have said that he is echoing the words of dictators.
Who Did Trump Refer to as Vermin?
On Veterans Day, Trump pledged to "root out" his political opponents, saying that they, “live like vermin within the confines of our country."
Make no mistake, this is the dehumanizing language of fascism. pic.twitter.com/bknEmfyvlP
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) November 13, 2023Donald Trump has a long history of referring to his political, legal, or otherwise opponents with eyebrow-raising words. Now, he has used another word from his repertoire- “Vermin.”
At the 2023 Veterans Day speech held at a rally in Claremont, New Hampshire, he referred to “the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left” as vermin. The former President shockingly said:
“We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections. They’ll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream.”
Trump, the wannabe authoritarian, in his Hitleresque Veterans Day speech — promised to root out 'vermin'.
He nailed this part though — “The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave, than the threat from within.”
Yes, the threat we face from far… pic.twitter.com/IRZb58oCL1
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) November 13, 2023Basically, he denigrated anyone who didn’t toe his or the GOP’s political line. He also said that the threat from within America is higher than from outside. Trump said:
“The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave than from within. Our threat is from within. Because if you have a capable, competent, smart, tough leader, Russia, China, North Korea, they’re not going to want to play with us.”
Additionally, Trump once again denied the results of the elections that have seen the current US President, Joe Biden, in power at the White House.
Donald Trump Receives Backlash For His “Vermin” Comment
Donald Trump’s shocking word used to classify his political opponents has made many professionals comment that he is using the language of dictators.
The Washington Post quoted Timothy Naftali, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, saying:
“The language is the language that dictators use to instill fear. When you dehumanize an opponent, you strip them of their constitutional rights to participate securely in a democracy because you’re saying they’re not human.”
Donald Trump is working out of the authoritarian playbook: attacking the rule of law, denying his election losses, legitimizing political violence.
Calling his political opponents “vermin,” Trump wants to return to government as Vladimir Putin—or worse. pic.twitter.com/yj71hvRbRG
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) November 13, 2023Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian at New York University, backed up Naftali’s words. She explained:
“Trump is also using projection: note that he mentions all kinds of authoritarians ‘communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left’ to set himself up as the deliverer of freedom. Mussolini promised freedom to his people too and then declared dictatorship.”
This is the Trump spokesman who said anyone objecting to Trump calling American citizens, “vermin,” are snowflakes who will be crushed when Trump returns to office. He considers himself a member of the master race, not a refugee from the Island of Broken Toys. pic.twitter.com/2vuzLbY1zk
— 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖_𝔻𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕖 (@SundaeDivine) November 15, 2023However, the criticism has unphased the Trump campaign planning to regain the seat of power at next November’s elections. Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, said:
“Those who try to make that ridiculous assertion are snowflakes grasping for anything because they are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and their entire existence will be crushed when President Trump returns to the White House.”
Trump currently faces 91 charges across four criminal cases. It remains to be seen if he can regain the White House in the next elections.
What do you think of Donald Trump’s use of choice words to throw at his political opponents? Can he overthrow Joe Biden to become the next US President?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: The Washington Post
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