Donald Trump is ramping up his rhetoric by portraying his political rivals and critics as criminals as he drops a long line of suggestions that he favors banning political speech he deems misleading or questions his claims to power .
In a speech Friday in Aurora, Colorado, the Republican presidential candidate criticized the immigration system and threw a rhetorical grenade at his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
‘She’s a criminal. She is a criminal,” said Trump, who was convicted of 34 crimes for falsifying company records in his hush-money trial in New York. “She really is, when you think about it.”
It’s a pattern of messaging that has long been part of Trump’s speeches but has escalated significantly during his 2024 candidacy. In the final stretch to the Nov. 5 election, the former president has developed a tendency to claim that statements that he decries are illegal, even though they are protected by the First Amendment.
A questionable part of a “60 Minutes” Harris interview? “Completely illegal,” Trump wrote on Xin which he says that Harris looks better and that CBS’s broadcast license should be revoked.
Harris campaign editing headlines in paid Google ads? “Completely illegal,” he wrote, vowing that Google will “pay dearly for it.”
Democrats are trying to “illegally cover up” part of his statement calling on Jan. 6 rioters to be peaceful, he claimed this month.
In August, Trump told a crowd in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, that criticism of judges who have ruled in accordance with him should be banned. “I believe what they are doing is illegal,” Trump said. “I believe they are playing the referee. They constantly criticize our great – some of our greatest judges and a lot of great judges. … Playing the referee with our judges and our judges should be punished with very serious fines and more.”
‘This does not fit the autocratic script’
An expert who studies authoritarianism and fascism said Trump’s rhetoric about criminalizing dissent is well known and could have serious consequences for the country if he is elected president.
“This does not fit the autocratic script. As autocrats consolidate their power once in power, anything that threatens their power, or exposes their corruption, or releases information that is in any way harmful to them becomes illegal,” said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian and professor of New York. University that wrote the book ‘Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present’ in 2020.
“He is in a sense rehearsing what he would do as head of state, and that is what Orbán does, Modi does and Putin has been doing for a long time,” she said, referring to the leaders of Hungary, India and Russia respectively. . “Just like there’s division now because of this brainwashing about who’s a patriot and who’s a criminal on January 6, right? In the same way, journalists, scientists, even people like me, anyone who deals with objective research, prosecutors, in any field – journalists, scientists, even people like me, anyone who deals with objective research, prosecutors – become criminal elements and they must be eliminated.”
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 he lies, the more it is accepted by his loyal followers.”
Trump has suggested investigations into his conduct are illegal under the law and vowed revenge against prosecutors overseeing them. He has also claimed, without evidence, that President Joe Biden directed these prosecutions, even the state charges over which he has no control.
In early revelations about his indictment against New York, Trump said the prosecutor had “ILLEGALLY leaked it.” And the investigation into his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia? “They illegally spied on my campaign.”
Trump voters have mixed views on revenge
Trump rallied a raucous crowd in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, launching personal attacks on Harris and drawing cheers and boos from a sea of red MAGA-hating supporters as he spoke of the “enemy from within” — government officials with whom he clashed. He cited as an example Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., which led to a “lock him up!” shout from a supporter.
But some of Trump’s own voters told NBC News they disapprove of the revenge-based themes in his campaign, while still planning to support him because of their concerns about the economy and immigration.
Scranton native Walter Buckman said he supports Trump because of his views on immigration and the economy. But the self-described Catholic “absolutely disagrees” with his rhetoric about demanding revenge and taking revenge.
“The way to get revenge on anyone is to change the economy. Being right should not be in the playbook,” he said. ‘Is revenge a good thing? It’s not a good thing.”
Debbie Hendrix, a Pennsylvanian who attended the Trump rally wearing a “MAGA” hat, said she is excited to vote for Trump for a third time. But even she is put off by his talk of retaliation.
“I don’t agree with that. I think people like ‘Drain the swamp,'” she said, but she says that doesn’t mean she has to personally go after his critics. “I don’t think he should sink to their level.”
Sometimes Trump makes the claim of illegality in a plausible manner. In October 2023, he said attorneys in Colorado are trying to “illegally remove my name from the ballot” because of his role on January 6, a case he fought and won in the U.S. Supreme Court. More recently, he has said that people caught cheating in the election will be prosecuted, essentially repeating existing law.
Fetterman: ‘A menu full of stupid s—‘
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who is campaigning for Harris in conservative rural areas, said Trump is no stranger to “outlandish talk” but warned that it does not demotivate his voters.
“That’s just a menu of stupid things he always says,” Fetterman said. “I don’t even pay attention to things like that. Most people don’t really take it for granted, or anything.”
It is important for everyone who is affected to vote for Harris, he said, criticizing the “unaligned” movement, supporters of perennial Green Party nominee Jill Stein, and others who despise Trump but lose their vote could waste.
“If you don’t vote 100% for Harris, you are directly or indirectly helping Trump,” Fetterman said. “Go ahead and try again. That’s what happened in 2016 when people threw away their votes for that dope Jill Stein.”
Trump has responded to criticism of his authoritarian rhetoric by repeatedly claiming that Democrats are the real fascists and accusing them of “weaponizing” the government against him. His campaign did not return messages seeking comment on this article.
If elected, Trump could actually succeed in centralizing power for himself, in a system built on checks and balances that has often kept him in check during his first term.
“That’s the big question,” Ben-Ghiat said, adding that it depends in part on his ability to impose party loyalty, intimidate critics and install competent bureaucrats who are effective in using instruments of power to achieve his personal goals .
“It’s about criminalizing dissent,” she says. “There is a method to his madness, which is that he has taken people on a journey of indoctrination.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
