As the Washington Post noted yesterday:
President Donald Trump delivered a meandering address to an unprecedented gathering of the country's top military leaders, railing against his predecessor, celebrating tariffs and floating the idea of using American cities as a training ground for the military as he painted a picture of the U.S. under attack “from within.”
They added:
Trump in recent months has lambasted blue cities and states as hotbeds of crime, but the speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Tuesday morning marked the first time he publicly directed military leaders to be “a major part” of fighting a “war from within” in cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
Who did Trump describe as the "enemy within"? The far left was described as such.
Who did he say formed the far-left? He described the Democratic Party in this manner.
In other words, he assembled most of the hierarchy of US forces in one place to tell them that his mainstream political opponents - for whom many of those military personnel might vote - were the enemy within and that they must be ready for deployment on the streets of US cities to fight these people who have been (within the constraints of the US systrem of democracy) elected to office to serve the communities that they represent.
Trump did, in effect, declare war on democracy in the USA. Although there was little actual sign of any significant polotical difference between the Republicans and the Democrats in the USA before he arrived on the scene, the Single Transferable Party having effectively ruled the roost until then, he is now saying that US troops must fight Democrats on the streets of US cities because they are - despite their corporate backing and marked reluctance to back any candidate looking to do anything to shake the status quo - the enemy within.
To the extent that the Democrats are not willing to address the problems faced by ordinary Americans, I would agree that they do fail the people of the USA.
To the extent that they have, alongside the Republicans, been more than willing to represent the interests of corporate America above all else in the institutions of power in that country, I would agree that they are a massive impediment to political progress in that country.
To the extent that they have failed to hold back fascism, they have also failed, mainly by failing to articulate an alternative.
But let's be clear, all that this shows is that they are not the far-left, and that they are not a threat to the US in the way Trump describes.
There is, then, no case or issue for the US military to address, unless of course they are to become the instruments of the imposition of fascist power, which is very clearly what Trump and Hesgeth thought that this meeting of the US military hierarchy was all about, and which is what they were obviously demanding of them.
I think we can safely assume that those assembled were being monitored for their loyalty to Trump. Those entering into discussion on how to react to this demand will, no doubt, also be surveilled upon, and even now, the list of those to be culled from office is, I am sure, being prepared. The aim here, we can be sure, is to create a narrative that does describe the Democrats as the enemy within the USA to which those who will be commanded to fight them must be willing to subscribe. And no doubt, some will subscribe.
Trump is declaring war on the USA, and he is demanding that the USA's own military wage that war on their own people and their own choices of politicians. It is very hard to see what else this meeting was about.
In that case, is anyone pretending that the USA is not a fascist state any more? Surely, the days for pretence are over? The only questions left are those we must consider as a consequence.
Firstly, how do we adjust to this reality?
Secondly, how do we prevent this from happening here, meaning appeasement must cease, and preparation to defend our liberties must begin, as I suggested yesterday?
Thirdly, what narrative do we, and those who want to resist fascism now, build?
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Hell’s teeth. It will be interesting to see how my daily newspaper reports this. It helps to read your blog first, as without some intelligent commentary, from you and your readers, these dismal developments would be even more depressing.
As the Starmer-McSweeney deadly-duo become desparate, it is possible that they take the authoritarian route. I wonder when accusing somebody “you are a zionst” will be labelled anti-semitic?. I.D cards another step in the fascist direction (the Nazis introduced them in Belgium and the Belgians kept them – funny that). In the case of Trump, his popularity is declining, fast, there needs to be reasons to cancell elections next year, the pantomime with the military is part of the preparations for cancellation. How does this affect the UK? Dunno.
Fascists need an enemy. Which one may vary but they say 1) ‘this enemy is a threat 2) we alone will save you 3) give us your unquestioning support or you may be a traitor too.
To answer Richard’s three questions
we stop pretending this is politics as usual but remember most of the followers of Fascism are being swept along without realising where they are going
we challenge their assertions and support those who oppose
we seek allies and build an alternative along the lines many posters here support
I have often wondered what would happen if war actually did properly break out in Europe.
What would be the reaction of the American military on the ground here? ( I am fairly sure there would be no support for European countries from the blowhard in chief in Washington.) I wonder if some of them at least would respond to a call from the European nations of Nato to take up citizenship of the European countries and maintain their defence role here. Many of them might well prefer to retain their military role, actually fighting other soldiers than have to be deployed at home opressing their own citizens. I know this is might seem like a scenario out of some dystopian future war film, but I no longer think it is totally unimaginable.
I’m finding it difficult to shake off the feeling that you might well not have to wait long to find out, Sheila B.
I commented on this on X last night and have had the most likes and reposts of anything I’ve written.
That said, the most superb segment on this is from Lawrence O’Donnell. I strongly recommend everyone to watch and listen to what O’Donnell says, because he’s absolutely right – Trump is unhinged – and his examples show that.
https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-trump-was-on-the-verge-of-outright-insanity-in-deranged-speech-to-military-commanders-248797253929
Also well worth watching – as different clips are used – is Ari Melber’s segment – one of which features Trump calling for US cities to be used as ‘training grounds’ for the military. Democrat controlled, of course.
As I said in my comments on X, this is all to do with ‘controlling’ the US population before and during the mid terms next year, which, as I’ve said ad infinitum, Trump and Republican’s cannot loose otherwise Trump will be indicted, as will other of his minions.
In short, there’s now NO DOUBT AT ALL that Trump and his minions see themselves as AT WAR with anyone who stands up to them, and that they intend to DO VIOLENCE to many in the US using the military, unless they take a stand, but will be visited on US citizens anyway, by Trumps ICE militia.
Anyway, here’s the Melber segment: https://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari-melber
Much to agree with.
I have watched the first clip – this is scary stuff.
Thanks for the links to O’Donnell and Maddow Ivan – better commentary than anything over here in my opinion at the moment – C4 News is holding it own – just. R4 PM? Stick a fork in it and serve it up, its done.
Heather Cox Richardson has a good write up of Hegseth & Trump ranting at assembled ‘warriors’ in her newsletter here, https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/september-30-2025?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
She is on form…
Incredibly scary stuff
Further to your earlier post, Richard, Pete Hegseth also made remarks yesterday at the meeting about how the US military would no longer have the DEI, transgenderism and woke obsession that he seems to think President Biden’s administration was infected with and that combat fitness levels, would be based on male standards. I believe he said it wasn’t the intention to exclude women from combat, but if that was the result, then so be it. More of the male, Christian, white ideal.
Pretty hideous, and I think you are right.
Encouragingly, the BBC report that both Hegseth’s and Trump’s speeches were received in near silence by the assembled brass. Hegseth apparently called for a greater “warrior ethos”, an expression I can only describe as chilling.
Agreed
I cannot think what purpose is served by gathering the US top military figures together in one room and then demonstrating to them that you are totally unhinged. Is he trying to provoke a military coup? Because this would be a good way to go about it.
He wants as many of them as possible to quit.
Maybe we could hire some of them. I gather our armed forces are somewhat understaffed. Maybe some of their troops would come over too?
Many Canadians are worried that this is a rehearsal for invasion/ annexation of at least one Canadian state, along with one (Alberta?) already being Trumpish.
The rambling babbles of Frump and Hegsmeth was not well received by the military. They are outside politics for the most part. Trump will have some allies within the military, but not enough. If he gutted it down to loyalists then that would be the end of the US military on the world stage. They would be reduced to a militia deployed to control the American citizens, with mothballed aircraft carriers sitting in their ports. Cynically, the military industrial complex will not stand for the loss of the gravy train. They will intervene.