Railing against ‘the enemy within’

Supporters of Trump holding signs and flags as they show their support for the Republican 2024 presidential candidate during a ‘Caravan for Trump’ demonstration in West Palm Beach, Florida. — AFP

THE language sounds like something from an authoritarian state or the US anti-communist purges of the 1950s, but Donald Trump is increasingly focused on one target: “the enemy within”.

The 77-year-old Republican has stepped up his rhetoric against a host of domestic opponents in recent months, and looks set to go even further after his historic conviction in a criminal trial that he claims – without evidence – was orchestrated by his political rival, President Joe Biden.