Donald Trump is stepping up his rhetoric by portraying his political rivals and critics as criminals, while abandoning a long line of advice to ban political speech that he considers misleading or that challenges his claim to power.
In a speech Friday in Aurora, Colorado, the Republican presidential candidate criticized immigration and threw a rhetorical grenade at his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“He is a criminal. He is a criminal,” said Trump, who was convicted of 34 criminal charges and business records at his secret trial in New York. “He really is, if you think about it.”
It's a pattern of messages that has long been part of Trump's speeches, but which has grown significantly in his 2024 candidacy. In the final run-up to the November 5 elections, the former president developed a tendency to claim that speech he disapproves of is illegal, even if it is protected by the First Amendment.
A questionable cut from a Harris interview on “60 Minutes”? “Totally illegal,” wrote Trump in xsaid this made Harris look better and that CBS should revoke her broadcast license.
Does Harris Edit Campaign Headlines in Paid Google Ads? “Totally illegal,” he wrote, promising to “pay big” for Google.
Democrats are trying to “unlawful concealment” part of his Jan. 6 speech, urging protesters to remain peaceful, he said this month.
Trump in August told a crowd in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, that he should ban criticism of judges who govern according to him. “I believe what they do is illegal,” Trump said. “I believe they are playing referee. They are constantly criticizing our greats – some of our best judges and many great judges. … Playing referee with our judges and our judges should be punishable by very serious fines and more.”
'It's outside the authoritarian manual'
An expert who studies authoritarianism and fascism says Trump's rhetoric about criminalizing dissent is familiar and could have serious implications for the country if he is elected president.
“This is outside the authoritarian playbook. “Because dictators consolidate their power as soon as they take power, anything that threatens their power, or exposes their corruption, or exposes information harmful to them, becomes illegal,” said Ruth Ben-Giat, historian and professor of New York University 2020 Author of the book “Strong Man: From Mussolini to the Present”.
“He is actually rehearsing, in a sense, what he will do as head of state, what Orbán is doing, what Modi is doing, what Putin has been doing for a long time,” he said, referring to the leaders of Hungary, from India. and Russia said respectively. . “How this January 6th brainwashing about who is a patriot and who is a criminal is now divisive, isn’t it? Likewise, truth-telling in any field – journalists, scientists, even people like me, anyone involved in an objective investigation, prosecutors, of course – become criminal elements and need to be stopped.
Some Harris voters say Trump is channeling dictators.
“He reminds me of Hitler and his rise to power,” said Dan Geiger, a retired Pittsburgh resident. “The more lies he tells, the more his loyal followers accept it.”
Trump has suggested that the investigation involving their conduct is illegal under the law and justified retribution against the prosecutors who oversee them. He claims, without any evidence, that President Joe Biden ordered these trials and that he has no authority over state prosecutions.
After his allegations were initially released in New York, Trump said prosecutors “illegally leaked.” What about the investigation into his 2016 campaign's ties to Russia? “They are illegal spying on my campaign.”
Trump voters have mixed views on retaliation
Trump rallied a raucous crowd in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, launching personal attacks on Harris and drawing boos from a sea of red-hatted MAGA supporters as he clashed with the “enemy within” — government officials with who he clashed with. He cited as an example Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is a “lock him up!” A fan screams.
But some of Trump's voters told NBC News they rejected revenge-oriented themes in his campaign, although they still planned to support him because of his concerns about the economy and immigration.
Walter Buckman, a Scranton native, said he supports Trump because of his views on immigration and the economy. But the self-proclaimed Catholic “absolutely does not” agree with his statement about revenge and equality.
“The way to get along with someone is to change the economy. It shouldn’t even be in the available manual,” he said. “Is revenge a good thing? It’s not a good thing.”
Debbie Hendricks, a Pennsylvanian who attended a Trump rally wearing a “MAGA” hat, said she was excited to vote for Trump for the third time. But even talking about his revenge he hesitates.
“I don't agree with that. I think people like to 'drain the swamp,'” he said, but in his opinion, that doesn't mean going after his critics personally. “I don’t think he should sink to their level.”
Sometimes Trump begins to reasonably claim illegitimacy. In October 2023, he said Colorado lawyers are trying to “illegally remove my name from the ballot” for his role in a Jan. 6 fight-and-win lawsuit at the U.S. Supreme Court. More recently, he said those guilty of voter fraud will be prosecuted, essentially restoring existing law.
Fetterman: 'A menu of fools —'
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, who is campaigning for Harris in conservative rural areas, said Trump is no stranger to “weird speeches” but warned it won’t sway his voters.
“It’s a menu of shit he always says,” Fetterman said. “I don’t even pay attention to that kind of thing. Most people don’t take it at face value or anything like that.”
It's important for everyone to get out and vote for Harris, he said, criticizing the “swinger” movement, supporters of perennial Green Party candidate Jill Stein and others who hate Trump but might waste their votes.
“If you don’t vote 100% for Harris, you are directly or indirectly supporting Trump,” Fetterman said. “Go ahead and try again. That’s what happened in 2016 when people wasted their votes on that damn Jill Stein.”
Trump responded to criticism of his authoritarian rhetoric by repeatedly calling Democrats true fascists and accusing them of “weaponizing” the government. His campaign did not return messages requesting comment for this article.
If elected, could Trump be able to consolidate power for himself in a system based on checks and balances? who often managed to frustrate him in his first term.
“That’s the big question,” Ben-Ghiat said, adding that it depends in part on his ability to command party loyalty, intimidate critics and install competent bureaucrats who are effective in using the levers of power to advance his personal goals.
“This is about criminalizing dissent,” he said. “There is a method to his madness: he takes people on an intellectual journey.”
