Trump’s incendiary ‘vermin’ remarks prompt backlash

Former President Trump prompted backlash for comparing his political enemies to “vermin” who needed to be exposed, with critics drawing comparisons to dictators from decades ago.

Trump, in a Veterans Day speech in New Hampshire, pledged to “root out … the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country,” the latest in a growing line of increasingly incendiary comments about his political opponents heading into the 2024 election.

The former president warned the audience of supporters that “the threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from within. Our threat is from within. Because if you have a capable, competent, smart, tough leader, Russia, China, North Korea, they’re not going to want to play with us.”

Democrats and even some Republicans expressed alarm over Trump’s comments, equating them to the type of rhetoric used by dictators during World War II and suggesting it was a sign of how Trump would conduct himself if elected to a second term in the White House.

The Trump campaign dismissed the criticism. But the “vermin” comment is just the latest in a growing string of remarks that have raised alarms for Trump’s critics.