President Donald Trump has ramped up rhetoric that paints political opponents and critics as criminals while outlawing political speech he deems misleading or challenges his claims to power. He has withdrawn long-standing hints that he supports it.
In a speech in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday, the Republican presidential candidate slammed the immigration system and threw a rhetorical grenade at his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“She’s a criminal. She’s a criminal,” said Trump, who was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records in a New York hush-money trial. “If you think about it, she really is.”
It’s a messaging pattern that’s been part of Trump’s stump speeches for years, but it escalated significantly during the 2024 election. In the final stages before the Nov. 5 election, the former president is increasingly insisting that speech he disapproves of is illegal, even if it is protected by the First Amendment. .
Suspicious cut of “60 Minutes” Harris interview? President Trump: ‘Completely illegal’ on XHarris made a good appearance and argued that CBS should have its broadcasting license revoked.
President Donald Trump is increasingly calling speech he doesn’t like “illegal.” Win McNamee/Getty Images
Did the Harris campaign edit the headlines of Google’s paid ads? “Totally illegal,” he wrote, and vowed that Google “will pay a heavy price” for it.
He claimed earlier this month that Democrats were trying to “unlawfully cover up” portions of his statement calling on rioters to act peacefully on Jan. 6.
In August, President Trump told a crowd in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, that criticism of judges who ruled with him should be prohibited. “I think what they’re doing is illegal,” President Trump said. “I think they’re refereeing. They’re always criticizing our greats, our great judges and many great judges. …The judges and judges and umpires of our country. should be punished with no less than a very heavy fine.”
“This deviates from an authoritarian strategy.”
Experts who study authoritarianism and fascism say Trump’s rhetoric criminalizing dissent is well known and could have serious consequences for the country if he is elected president. .
“This is outside of an autocratic strategy. As a dictator consolidates his power after taking office, he publishes information that threatens his power, exposes corruption, or is harmful to him in any way. Everything becomes illegal,” said Ruth Benguiat, a historian and professor at New York University. University, who wrote the 2020 book Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present.
“He is, in a sense, actually rehearsing what he would do as a head of state. That’s what Mr. Orban, Mr. Modi and Mr. Putin have done for years,” she said, referring to the leaders of Hungary, India and Russia, respectively. mentioned. . “Isn’t it the same way that there is division now because of brainwashing about January 6th about who is a patriot and who is a criminal? Similarly, journalists, scientists, people like me, objective Anyone involved in an investigation, even a prosecutor, who speaks the truth in any field becomes a criminal element and needs to be shut down.
Some Harris voters argue that Trump is leading a dictator.
“He reminds me of Hitler and his rise to power,” said Dan Geiger, a former Pittsburgh resident. “The more he lies, the more it becomes acceptable to his loyal supporters.”
President Trump has suggested that the investigation into his conduct is illegal under the law and vowed revenge against the prosecutors overseeing the investigation. He also claimed, without any evidence, that President Joe Biden ordered these prosecutions and even state prosecutions that he did not have authority to prosecute.
When his indictment in New York was initially revealed, Trump said prosecutors had “illegally leaked” it. And what about the investigation into his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia? “They illegally spied on my campaign.”
People who voted for President Trump have different opinions about revenge.
President Trump rallied a raucous crowd in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday and launched a personal attack on Harris, speaking of the “enemy from within” — government officials who have clashed with him. He was met with jeers and boos from a crowd of hat-wearing supporters. He cited Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., as an example, sparking the “Lock Him Up!” movement. A supporter yells.
But some of Trump’s own voters told NBC News that while they plan to support him over concerns about the economy and immigration, they oppose the campaign’s revenge-based themes.
Walter Bachmann, a Scranton native, said he supports Trump because of his views on immigration and the economy. But the self-proclaimed Catholic “absolutely disagrees” with his rhetoric about revenge and retribution.
“The way to come to terms with everyone is to change the economy. The strategy should not be about neck and neck,” he said. “Is revenge a good thing? It’s not a good thing.”
Debbie Hendricks of Pennsylvania, who attended the Trump rally wearing a MAGA hat, said she was excited to vote for Trump for the third time. But even she is put off by his talk of revenge.
“I don’t agree with that. I think people like ‘drain the swamp,'” she said, but in her view that means going after his critics personally. It’s not something you do. “I don’t think he should drop to their level.”
President Trump sometimes plausibly alleges illegality. In October 2023, he claimed that Colorado advocates had “unlawfully removed my name from the ballot” over his role in the January 6 case that he fought and won in the U.S. Supreme Court. He said he is trying. It recently said anyone found to have committed election fraud would be prosecuted, essentially rewording current law.
Fetterman: “So many ridiculous menus—“
Sen. John Fetterman, R-Pennsylvania, who is campaigning for Harris in conservative rural areas, said Trump is used to “weird ramblings,” but that doesn’t appeal to voters. He warned that this should not discourage people.
“It’s just a menu of stupid shit he always says,” Fetterman said. “I don’t look at that. Most people don’t take it at face value.”
He said it was important for everyone concerned about this issue to vote for Harris and support the “No Commitment” movement and the Green Party’s perennial candidate Jill Stein. , and criticized people who hate Trump but could waste their votes.
“If you’re not voting 100% for Harris, you’re directly or indirectly supporting Trump,” Fetterman said. “Come on, try again. That’s what happened in 2016 when people threw away their votes for that stupid Jill Stein.”
In response to criticism of his authoritarian rhetoric, President Trump has repeatedly claimed that Democrats are the true fascists and accused them of “weaponizing” the government against him. His campaign did not return messages seeking comment for this article.
If Mr. Trump were elected, would he actually succeed in centralizing power to himself in a system built on checks and balances during his first term?
“That’s the big problem,” Benguiat said, appointing capable bureaucrats who effectively use the levers of power to impose party loyalty, intimidate critics and advance personal agendas. It depends in part on the ability to do so, he added.
“It criminalizes dissent,” she said. “His madness has a method in that he takes people on a journey of edification.”
