Trump doubles down on Jan. 6 defense and "enemy from within" comments
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Former President Trump speaks to supporters and staff as he visits a campaign office on Oct. 18 in Hamtramck, Michigan. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Former President Trump stood by his comments that political opponents are the "enemy from within" in a Fox News interview aired Sunday.
The big picture: The GOP nominee has dug his heels in on controversial rhetoric, even as it has garnered scrutiny, while his language becomes darker ahead of Nov. 5.
- Since he suggested in a Fox interview aired last week that the National Guard or military could be used against the "enemy from within," including "radical-left lunatics," in the case of Election Day chaos, Trump has doubled down on his comments.
- He has, on multiple occasions in recent days, named Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as examples of the "enemy."
- In a separate head-turning moment at a Univision town hall Wednesday, Trump downplayed the events of January 6, where around 140 police officers were assaulted, as "a day of love."
Zoom in: He reaffirmed his contention that the deadly Jan. 6 attack was a "day of love" in a "MediaBuzz" interview aired on Sunday with Howard Kurtz.
- Pressed on the comment he made at a Univision town hall, Trump bragged about the crowd size at the rally preceding the Capitol riot, saying there was "beauty" and a "love" in the "tremendous crowd."
- He again claimed "strange things" happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6, falsely alleging police were "ushering" rioters into the building.
- "I'm saying that when I saw that tremendous crowd — the largest group I've ever spoken to — in front of these beautiful monuments, I thought it was actually a beautiful thing," he said. "It was a peaceful [protest]."
- The GOP nominee also argued there were "no guns" at the site of the riot (there were).
What he's saying: Kurtz highlighted the former president's "enemy from within" phrase, saying it is "a pretty ominous phrase if you're talking about other Americans."
- Trump replied, "I think it's accurate," saying a "smart president" can handle the "so-called enemies" like Russia and China but that there are also enemies within the U.S.
- He again pointed to Schiff, who probed Trump during his time as chair of the House Intelligence Committee, as a "crooked politician" and "an enemy."
- "Of course, he's an enemy ... he wanted to put my son in jail," he claimed, calling Schiff a "threat to democracy."
- He added he thinks "Nancy Pelosi is an enemy from within," reiterating false claims that the former House Speaker rejected National Guard troops during the Jan. 6 attack.
Zoom out: Trump also responded to criticism from former Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Gen. Jim Mattis, calling them "woke" and saying he does not "respect them as soldiers."
- "I don't consider those people great generals," Trump reiterated.
Go deeper: Trump downplays Jan. 6: "You had a peaceful transfer of power"
