Donald Trump has drawn the ire of historians after he referred to his political adversaries as “vermin” in a Veterans Day speech.
The former president argued that his domestic opponents are more of a threat to the US than the likes of China, Russia, and North Korea.
The remarks prompted comparisons to authoritarian leaders such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, according to The Washington Post.
Mr Trump, 77, spoke in Claremont, New Hampshire, telling the crowd in his usual grievance-laden parlance: “We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections.”
The former president has refused to accept the results of the 2020 election and continues to lie, falsely claiming that it was stolen.
“They’ll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream,” Mr Trump said.
“The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave than the threat from within,” he said. “Our threat is from within. Because if you have a capable, competent, smart, tough leader, Russia, China, North Korea, they’re not going to want to play with us.”
More follows…