Trump Embraces ‘Enemy of the People,’ a Phrase With a Fraught History

"Language of autocracy". Wow. In plain English. Why I think Trump is dangerous and terrifying: he speaks the language of, actually quotes from, Lenin, Stalin, Mao... But he doesn't know it, also unnerving... "She added that, in all likelihood, Mr. Trump had not read Lenin, Stalin or Mao Zedong, but the 'formulas of insult, humiliation, domination, branding, enemy-forming and name calling are always the same.'” - NYT I have been terrified by Trump's rhetorical style for some time. It echoes totalitarianism. But Trump has no clue in my opinion.. "Enemy of the people" is such a toxic phrase that the fierce Khrushchev banned it's use, it's too powerful and absolute - ideologically vacant, so you can't fight it. “The formula ‘enemy of the people,’” Mr. Khrushchev told the Soviet Communist Party in a 1956 speech denouncing Stalin’s cult of personality, “was specifically introduced for the purpose of physically annihilating such individuals” who disagreed with the supreme leader." - NYT ... "By using the phrase ['enemy of the state'] and placing himself in such infamous company, at least in his choice of vocabulary to attack his critics, Mr. Trump has demonstrated, Ms. Khrushcheva said, that the language of “autocracy, of state nationalism is always the same regardless of the country, and no nation is exempt.” - Trump Embraces ‘Enemy of the People,’ a Phrase With a Fraught History, NYT
Source:
Trump Embraces ‘Enemy of the People,’ a Phrase With a Fraught History
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It is unclear if the president is aware of the historic resonance of the label, but his use of it has left some historians scratching their heads.