Donald Trump’s rhetoric reaches new levels of extreme – but it may not make a difference to voters
Donald Trump has outdone himself.
His rhetoric has long been extreme but, in campaign remarks as it heads towards a close, it’s more so.
Consider the direct quotes from his “enemy within” interview on Fox News on 13 October.
Asked about “bureaucrats undermining you” in a second term, he replied: “We have two enemies: we have the outside enemy, and then we have the enemy from within.
“And the enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia, and all these countries.”
Pic: Reuters
Referring to Adam Schiff, a Democratic candidate for the Senate, he says: “Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, who’s a total sleazebag, is going to become a senator. But I call him the enemy from within.”
Asked whether he expects chaos on election day from outside agitators, he replied: “I think the bigger problem are the people from within.
“We have some very bad people, we have some sick people, radical left lunatics.
“It should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard or, if really necessary by the military.”
Critics have interpreted the remarks as a threat to use the military against political opponents, even though he would need to be president to try.
They accuse Trump of shaping an authoritarian agenda – true, they say, because it’s laid out in his own words.
Pic: Reuters
Donald Trump, after all, is a man who has used dehumanising language in discussing particular groups, has undermined institutions that keep a check on power, threatened the media and once told an interviewer he would not be a dictator “except on day one.”
If he does have the look and sound of an autocrat-in-waiting, it is not seen or heard by his supporters.
‘Far-left activists’
Of the “enemy within” remarks, Trump’s running mate JD Vance dismissed the notion he was talking of using the military against political rivals.
He said: “We have various far-left activists who are talking about civil unrest in this country if Donald Trump were to be elected president again.
“If you have people who are rioting in American streets, whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, whatever their political persuasion is, we’re not going to let that happen.
“We believe in law and order in this country. That’s what Donald Trump is talking about.”
It is a question of language and how it lands.
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What’s behind Trump’s popularity?
‘Fascist to the core’
In an explosive intervention into the discussion, Trump has been branded a “fascist” by his most senior military adviser in office.
General Mark Milley, retired, is quoted as calling Trump “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country”.
It is authoritative commentary from a man who was in the room and it finds an echo.
Major-General Randy Manner, retired, sees parallels between Trump and Adolf Hitler, no less.
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Maj-Gen. Manner is a member of the National Security Leaders for America, a group of retired, senior members of the military.
They span the political divide but, as a collective body, have thrown their backing behind Kamala Harris.
Maj-Gen. Manner told Sky News: “It is 100% true, according to the definition, that Trump is a fascist.
“People who are powerful and authoritarian align, so the dangers to the world are significant, in terms of worsening the threshold for peaceful co-existence.
“Many of the attributes of what Trump has been doing here in the United States emulate the actions taken by Adolf Hitler between 1922 and 1933.
“There are so many similarities of style, of technique, of divide the people and have a small group of thugs do your dirty work for you, without any regard to the rule of law.
“There are very real similarities.”
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Kamala Harris clearly believes it presents an opportunity to unstick the polls.
Having bounced on to the campaign stage extolling joy and opportunity, she has pivoted back to democracy and the threat posed, she claims, by Donald Trump.
It will be for the voter to assess what Trump means and whether what he says should be taken seriously – and if not, why not?
The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is “done”, US President Donald Trump has said as he met Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit.
The US president told reporters: “We signed it, and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.”
As Mr Trump and his British counterpart exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, the US president held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters.
Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Mr Starmer quickly bent down to pick them up, saying: “A very important document.”
President Donald Trump drops papers as he meets with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kananaskis, Canada. Pic: AP
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Sir Keir Starmer hastily collects the signed executive order documents from the ground and hands them back to the US president.
Sir Keir said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
Mr Trump added that the UK was “very well protected” against any future tariffs, saying: “You know why? Because I like them”.
However, he did not say whether levies on British steel exports to the US would be set to 0%, saying “we’re gonna let you have that information in a little while”.
Sir Keir Starmer picks up paper from the UK-US trade deal after Donald Trump dropped it at the G7 summit. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump also praised Sir Keir as a “great” prime minister, adding: “We’ve been talking about this deal for six years, and he’s done what they haven’t been able to do.”
He added: “We’re very longtime partners and allies and friends and we’ve become friends in a short period of time.
“He’s slightly more liberal than me to put it mildly… but we get along.”
Sir Keir added that “we make it work”.
The US president appeared to mistakenly refer to a “trade agreement with the European Union” at one point as he stood alongside the British prime minister.
Mr Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries in April. At the time, he announced 10% “reciprocal” rates on all UK exports – as well as separately announced 25% levies on cars and steel.
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In a joint televised phone call in May, Sir Keir and Mr Trump announced the UK and US had agreed on a trade deal – but added the details were being finalised.
Ahead of the G7 summit, the prime minister said he would meet Mr Trump for “one-on-one” talks, and added the agreement “really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and we’ve got to implement that”.
US
Doctor to plead guilty to giving Matthew Perry ketamine before Friends star suffered fatal overdose
A Los Angeles doctor has agreed to plead guilty to giving Friends actor Matthew Perry ketamine in the lead up to his death from a fatal overdose, prosecutors have said.
Dr Salvador Plasencia, who will admit to four counts of distribution of ketamine, faces up to a maximum of 40 years in prison.
He is among five people charged in connection with the death of Friends star Perry, 54, whose body was found in his hot tub by his assistant in October 2023.
The medical examiner ruled that ketamine and other factors caused him to lose consciousness and drown.
The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal treatment for depression, but had begun seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.
Salvador Plasencia. Pic: Malibu Canyon Urgent Care
Plasencia is accused of supplying the bulk of Perry’s ketamine in his final weeks. He and three other defendants, including another doctor, agreed to plead guilty in exchange for their cooperation.
Jasmine Sangha, who prosecutors allege was a major ketamine dealer, is alleged to have provided the dose that killed the actor and is the only defendant who has pleaded not guilty to the prosecution’s case.
About a month before the actor’s death, Perry found Plasencia, a doctor who allegedly asked another doctor, Mark Chavez, to obtain the drug for him, according to court filings in the Chavez case.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to court filings from prosecutors.
Dr Mark Chavez has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry. File pic: AP
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The pair who practised in California met up the same day and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine, the filings said.
After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500 (£3,314), Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to” prosecutors said.
Chavez has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing.
He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.
US
Suspect in killing of US politician went to homes of other lawmakers in same night, officials say
A man accused of killing a US politician and her husband went to the homes of other lawmakers that night, intending to kill them, officials said.
Vance Boelter, 57, meticulously planned his attacks, carrying out surveillance missions, taking notes on the properties and people he targeted and disguising himself as a police officer, according to Minnesota’s acting US attorney Joseph Thompson.
Read more: Shooting suspect captured after two-day manhunt
Authorities believe Boelter wore a mask as he posed as a police officer and shone a torch in the face of some of his victims to disguise his identity.
The FBI released this image of Vance Boelter posing as a police officer. Pic: FBI.
“It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmare,” said Mr Thompson.
Boelter, 57, allegedly shot and wounded Senator John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their Minneapolis home in the early hours of Saturday morning.
John Hoffman. Pic: Facebook/Senator John Hoffman
He then travelled to the home of another state lawmaker but she and her family were on holiday, so they didn’t answer the door, said Mr Thompson.
Video showed that Boelter rang the doorbell at around 2.24am on Friday but left when the family didn’t respond.
Vance Boelter. Pic: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/Reuters
He then drove to the home of an unnamed state senator, but after the Hoffmans’ adult daughter called emergency services to say her parents had been shot, a police officer was dispatched to conduct a wellness check.
That officer saw Boelter’s car parked up the street but thought he was another officer, said Mr Thompson.
Boelter had reportedly altered his car to make it look more like a police car.
He then left and drove to the home of lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, according to an FBI affidavit.
Read more:
Neighbours of murdered US politician stunned
Melissa Hortman. Pic: Instagram
Local police officers, also conducting a check, arrived to see Boelter fatally shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home, according to the document.
Melissa Hortman was found dead inside.
Boelter was arrested on Sunday evening after a huge manhunt in a rural area in Sibley County, southwest of Minneapolis.
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He faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in the deaths of the Hortmans and the wounding of Mr Hoffman and his wife.
Before his arrest, the father of five texted his family group chat saying: “Dad went to war last night … I don’t wanna say more because I don’t wanna implicate anybody,” according to the affidavit.
His wife got another text that said: “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation… there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around,” the document said.
Several AK-style firearms and a list of about 70 names, which included politicians and abortion rights activists, were allegedly found inside his vehicle.
A Minnesota official said politicians who had been outspoken in favour of abortion rights were on the list.
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