So, here’s a thought experiment.
It’s the 1950s, and Senator Joseph McCarthy is on the television, wagging his finger at the American public, naming "enemies within" our borders. He’s telling us that they’re lurking in our schools, our workplaces, maybe even next door. McCarthy had a list, or at least he said he did, a list of communists infiltrating every facet of American life. He used fear to divide, to accuse, and to consolidate power. Fast forward seventy years, and here we are again. The names and faces have changed, but the story feels eerily similar.
Donald Trump, in his most recent speeches, has revived this dangerous rhetoric. He's dusted off the old phrase, "enemies within," and is pointing fingers inward, at people who don’t look like his supporters, who don't vote the same way, or who challenge his version of reality. This is no longer about political differences or simple disagreement; it’s about turning Americans against Americans, and that, my friends, is a recipe for disaster. We’ve seen it before, and history has made one thing clear: it doesn’t end well.
Think about Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. He didn’t just take power; he made people terrified of each other. He didn't only blame the Jews for Germany's problems; he portrayed them as a force working against the nation's very survival. He turned neighbors into enemies by repeating the idea that Germany had internal foes, people who wanted to destroy it from the inside. Hitler's rhetoric wasn't just divisive, it was catastrophic. It laid the groundwork for the horrors that followed: the concentration camps, the gas chambers, the unimaginable cruelty. When a leader begins to talk about enemies within, it's time for everyone to sit up and pay attention.
Now, I’m not saying Trump is Hitler. But I am saying that the rhetoric he’s using comes from the same dangerous playbook. It’s one that thrives on fear, paranoia, and distrust. When Trump talks about "enemies within," he’s not just saying there are political opponents or critics. He’s saying that these people are dangerous, that they are traitors working to undermine the country. In doing so, he’s feeding a monster that’s already too big in our society: the idea that people who disagree with us are not just wrong, but evil.
We need to remember what happened during McCarthyism. It wasn’t just a series of televised hearings; it was a period of real damage to real lives. Teachers, actors, writers, and everyday people lost their jobs, their reputations, and in some cases, even their lives because of baseless accusations. McCarthy used fear as a weapon, and the wounds it caused took decades to heal. The people who lived through it will tell you it was one of the darkest times in American history, a time when suspicion and accusation were enough to destroy a person.
And here we are, with Trump singing the same tune, wanting us to believe that the biggest threat to America isn’t poverty, inequality, or climate change, but rather our own neighbors. Maybe it's someone who disagrees about how we should teach our children. Maybe it's someone who trusts different news sources. Trump wants us to believe these people are out to get us, that they are somehow conspiring against America. This rhetoric is not just dangerous; it’s profoundly un-American. The greatness of this country has always been our diversity, not just in culture and background, but in thought and opinion.
Let’s also remember how Trump has always framed himself: the outsider who’s here to save us from ourselves. In his speeches, he draws a clear line: it’s him and his followers on one side, and the traitors on the other. He doesn’t want debate; he wants loyalty. He doesn’t want a functioning democracy; he wants obedience. This language, this strategy of othering and vilifying opponents, is not just a political maneuver, it’s a red flag. It’s a sign that he’s not interested in leading a united America, but rather a divided one, where power is maintained by pitting us against each other.
Think about what happens if Trump becomes president again. He’s not coming back with humility or a desire to serve. He’s coming back with a vendetta. He’s already openly discussed retribution, getting even with his perceived enemies. Imagine what that means when a president’s enemies are, in his own words, within the country. He’s not just talking about rival politicians or elite institutions. He’s talking about everyday people who dare to criticize him, journalists who report the facts, and even government employees who do their jobs without pledging loyalty to him personally.
And then there’s his recent interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo where Trump suggested using the military or the National Guard against the so-called "enemy from within" on Election Day, whom he described as "radical left lunatics" and other internal threats. Let that sink in for a moment. A former president, who wants to be president again, is talking about using the military against American citizens. This is not just hyperbole or tough talk. This is a direct threat to the very fabric of our democracy.
The military is meant to protect us from external threats, not to be wielded against our own people. Using the military in this way would be a terrifying step towards authoritarianism, where dissent is met not with debate or discussion, but with force. It is a blatant attempt to intimidate and silence those who oppose him, and it’s a move straight out of the authoritarian playbook.
Imagine a country where the government views dissent as treason. Where protesting, disagreeing, or even thinking differently becomes grounds for punishment. We’ve seen countries like this. Look at Russia, where dissenters fall out of windows, or are poisoned with nerve agents. Look at North Korea, where entire families disappear because one person speaks out. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Trump's rhetoric lays the groundwork for this kind of governance, a system where the leader decides who the enemies are, and the rest of us are expected to fall in line.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. The beauty of our democracy is that it’s still in our hands. We still get to decide who leads us, and what kind of country we want to be. Do we want to be a country that sees enemies around every corner, or do we want to be a country that comes together to solve our problems? Do we want to be driven by fear, or do we want to be driven by hope? The answer seems obvious, but it’s up to us to make it a reality.
When you hear Trump talk about enemies within, remember McCarthy. Remember Hitler. Remember that history teaches us these are the words of leaders who do not want a free society, but rather one where power is unchecked and unchallenged. Trump wants to be president again, but he doesn’t want to lead all Americans, only those who will follow him without question. And for those of us who believe in democracy, in freedom of thought, in the right to disagree, that should scare us all.
It’s easy to think that the lessons of history don’t apply to us, that somehow, we’re different, that we’re immune to the dangers that other societies faced. But we’re not. We’re just people, and we’re just as vulnerable to fear and division as anyone else. The only way to guard against it is to recognize it for what it is, to call it out, and to stand up against it, before it’s too late. Vote!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this editorial are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polk County Publishing or its affiliates. For transparency's sake, I am politically Left Libertarian.
