OPINION: A note from the ‘enemy within’

This past week, former President Donald Trump stated in an interview, “I think the bigger problem is the enemy within … we have some very bad people, we have some sick people, radical left lunatics … and they should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard or if really necessary by the military … 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...” Later in that first interview, he named Congressman Adam Schiff as an example of that “enemy within.” Without parsing or hiding the phrase behind out-of-context gibberish, the context of these remarks was clear. They were not made before a roaring crowd (though he has done so) or in the heat of a debate, but in a conversational interview on Fox News.

Since then, when he or his running mate have been asked, they have doubled down on it, naming other political leaders that he — and maybe even some of you reading this — disagree with. These remarks should send a chill through anyone who believes in this country, in the meaning of freedom, and our future.

This is not an isolated comment. This is part of a continually more violent and dangerous rhetoric coming from the former president. There is no balanced argument here. One side, the side I’m identified with, says, “There is a serious risk of us falling victim to an autocratic billionaire’s dreams of revenge.” The other side blames us for “fear-mongering.” But I watched him say these words. I believe he means them. So should you.

Like no other presidential candidate in recent memory, Trump has threatened violence or the use of the military on Americans who disagree with him and promised to shut down speech when he doesn’t like the words. These unconstitutional efforts make a mockery of those who gave their lives to defend our fundamental freedoms and values.

Attempts to minimize his rhetoric are equally disturbing. These are not two different sides of an argument — they are the normalizing of abnormal behavior. A presidential candidate is saying we need to silence our opponents. We must call attention to that claim. There is no dispute about what Trump is saying from the man who is saying it. He not only says it, he repeats it again and again. I take him at his word.

This, for me, is the last of many bridges too far. Based on his own definition, I am “the enemy within,” and so are a great many of you or your neighbors. I won’t laugh this off or shunt it aside as some political stunt meant to gin up his base, get a cheer out of folks for demonizing Americans for their values, or simply as a way to suck more funds from those who think vengeance is a political sport worth playing. His rhetoric pits neighbor against neighbor, family against family, friend against friend, and colleague against colleague. It undermines our trust in each other and the foundation of our Republic. Your vote is worth more than that.

I have no illusion about how pundits think our state will vote in this election, but I do have a belief in the underlying strength of all Alaskans when our way of life is threatened. We have always come together for the greater good — a good that transcends petty or selfish acts. So, I ask the question: “Is Trump’s vision of America truly the America we want?” I think the answer to that question is an emphatic “no.” Trump‘s rhetoric tearing down our democracy’s foundations does not deserve our vote. But it is a question worth asking and, when you are in the privacy of the ballot box, one you, and only you, can answer.

Tom Begich is the past Democratic minority leader of the Alaska Senate, where he represented Downtown Anchorage from 2017 to 2022.

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