A top conservative commentator is sounding the alarm, declaring Donald Trump has a "fetish for brutality" and "finds violence exciting."
After several reports about Trump's recent remarks, including ones being compared to dictators Hitler and Mussolini, calling those who oppose him "vermin," "joking" again about the near-deadly attack on Paul Pelosi, all amid reports there is a massive and well-funded operation to install over 50,000 Trump loyalists into every corner of the federal government if Trump takes the White House, former Republican Charlie Sykes has issued a warning.
Sykes, writing at The Bulwark, says Trump "genuinely admires the brutality of the Chinese; he finds violence exciting; and he’s a sincere fanboy of the world’s fascists. And he keeps tell us what his presidency will mean if and when he regains power."
Trump's "rhetoric is escalating," says Sykes. "The enemy is us. The 'vermin' are fellow Americans And he is coming for them."
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"So, once again, it is essential to pay attention. Trump may be clownish, but the clown car is carrying a neutron bomb. Possibly several."
"Last week, the Washington Post detailed how Trump and allies are planning to weaponize the Justice Department to go after his opponents and critics. Trump himself confirmed as much," he notes.
Sykes sums up this New York Times piece, writing that Trump "plans to scour the country for immigrants living here without legal permission and deport people by the millions per year."
"To help speed mass deportations, Trump is preparing an enormous expansion of a form of removal that does not require due-process hearings," he notes, adding: "Trump wants to build huge camps to detain people while their cases are processed and they await deportation flights."
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He also points to this piece from Axios, and explains, "Trump’s Team is determined to seize full control of the government in the next term."
"Hundreds of people," Axios reported, "are spending tens of millions of dollars to install a pre-vetted, pro-Trump army of up to 54,000 loyalists across government to rip off the restraints imposed on the previous 46 presidents."
"The government-in-waiting is being orchestrated by the Heritage Foundation's well-funded Project 2025," Axios added, "which already has published a 920-page policy book from 400+ contributors. Think of it as a transition team set in motion years in advance."
