Senator JD Vance (R-OH) clarified on CNN’s State of the Union that former President Donald Trump was referring specifically to “far-left lunatics who were rioting” when he mentioned the military going after the “enemy within.”
Vance remarked, “We’re not talking about the real issues. Can we discuss how Americans can’t afford groceries? How Americans struggle with housing costs? It’s people in places like Erie, Pennsylvania, who suffer when officials like Mark Esper and Mark Milley fail to follow the commander-in-chief’s orders.”
Host Jake Tapper replied, “We are talking about Donald Trump and what he said.”
Vance countered, “Yes, and you’d rather focus on what Trump allegedly said than what he actually accomplished in office.”
Tapper continued, “He publicly stated he wants to use the military against the ‘enemy within,’ meaning Americans.”
Vance pushed back, “He didn’t say he would send the military after Americans. Show me the quote where he said that.”
Vance elaborated, “You’re conflating two things. He talked about using the military against far-left rioters, the people who burned cities in 2020. Yes, that should involve federal law enforcement.”
He added, “Here’s the game being played: Trump said he wanted the military to address far-left rioters, whom he called the ‘enemy within.’ Separately, in a different context, he mentioned figures like Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff as threats to the country.”
