Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson issued a joint statement on October 25, 2024. In part it read:
Labeling a political opponent as a “fascist,” risks inviting yet another would-be assassin to try robbing voters of their choice before Election Day.
Vice President Harris may want the American people to entrust her with the sacred duty of executive authority. But first, she must abandon the base and irresponsible rhetoric that endangers both American lives and institutions. We have both been briefed on the ongoing and persistent threats to former President Donald Trump by adversaries to the United States, and we call on the Vice President to take these threats seriously, stop escalating the threat environment, and help ensure President Trump has the necessary resources to be protected from those threats.
Leader McConnell and Speaker Johnson to VP Harris: End The Dangerous Rhetoric
https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/leader-mcconnell-and-speaker-johnson-to-vp-harris-end-the-dangerous-rhetoric
This statement was made evidently without knowledge of, or regard for, numerous recent statements by former President Donald J. Trump. Here are a few brief quotes of Trump, with fuller context following:
- I’m talking about the fascists and the people in our government right now, because I consider them, you know, we talk about the enemy from within.
The true divide in American politics today is between these far-left fascists, led by Harris and her group
She’s a Marxist communist, fascist, socialist.
Comrade is the best because it says she’s a Marxist, communist, fascist person, which is … She’s a fascist.
Now, other people around her, they’re very bad people, and they’re not of our persuasion. They’re fascists and Marxists and lots of other things.
She’s just a front. There are some vicious communists and vicious fascists and Marxists that are involved in our country.
And it is the enemy from within and they’re very dangerous. They are Marxists and Communists and Fascists. And they’re saying — I use a guy like Adam Schiff because they made up the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax
Quotations and sources.
They have broken the Constitution. They have gotten very far astray from our Constitution. I’m talking about the fascists and the people in our government right now, because I consider them, you know, we talk about the enemy from within. I think the enemy from within, in many cases, is much more dangerous for our country than the outside enemies of China, Russia, and various others that would be called enemies depending on who the president is, frankly.
Donald Trump TIME Interview 2024-04-30
https://time.com/6972022/donald-trump-transcript-2024-election/
The true divide in American politics today is between these far-left fascists, led by Harris and her group, and you know who her group is, and citizens of all political backgrounds who love our country, share traditional American values, the values that you have right here in this great state, and look past our differences to unite around a thing called our great American flag.
Donald Trump RFK Jr. Turning Point Glendale Arizona 2024-08-23
https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/trump-speaks-at-turning-point-rally-in-glendale-arizona
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537793-1/president-trump-campaigns-glendale-arizona-part-1
But for that to happen, we must defeat comrade Kamala Harris. I use that term because you know what that term means, right? Communist. She’s a Marxist communist, fascist, socialist. She’s not actually a socialist. She’s gone past that. Remember I used to say America will never be a socialist country? Actually, they skipped past socialism. They started at communism.
Donald Trump Rally Tucson Arizona 2024-09-12
https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-rally-in-arizona
https://www.c-span.org/video/?538271-1/president-trump-campaigns-tucson-arizona
Not only is Harris … Do you ever notice when you say Harris, nobody knows who the hell you’re talking about. You ever? No, nobody has any idea. Harris. Hey is … Where’s Harris? They know Kamala. They know Kambabla. That was the nickname I used for a while, but I don’t use it anymore because everyone thought I was just mispronouncing her name. I wasn’t. Kambabla.
But no. Comrade is the best because it says she’s a Marxist, communist, fascist person, which is … She’s a fascist. Who the hell ever thought would be voting for a communist for president? She is. Look at her record. Do you know that she wanted to have transgender surgery on illegal aliens that came into our country that were in jail? Can you believe it? She wanted. Did anyone know that? I would say that’s quite a liberal thing to do, don’t you think? Where the hell did she come from?
Donald Trump Rally Las Vegas Nevada 2024-09-13
https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/trump-rally-in-las-vegas
https://www.c-span.org/video/?538321-1/president-trump-campaigns-las-vegas
I watched her interview, and it was a terrible interview and just a terrible, terrible interview that this person can be leading. She’s a very low-intelligence person and that she could be leading this country.
It’s just ridiculous. She’s never going to lead the country. Now, other people around her, they’re very bad people, and they’re not of our persuasion. They’re fascists and Marxists and lots of other things. I can say communists because a lot of people don’t understand a Marxist. You know, her father is a Marxist.
Ben Shapiro Interviews Donald Trump on His Podcast 2024-10-08
https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-interview-ben-shapiro-podcast-october-8-2024/
Hugh Hewitt: What do you think Kamala Harris would do in a meeting with Xi Jinping or Putin or Kim Jong Un?
Donald Trump: Well, it wouldn’t be her. She’s just a front. There are some vicious communists and vicious fascists and Marxists that are involved in our country. Let me tell you, we have the enemy from within. The enemy from within are bad people in our government. And you see them on occasion. And what about Nancy Pelosi?
Hugh Hewitt Interviews Donald Trump 2024-10-07
https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-interview-hugh-hewitt-radio-october-7-2024/
And by the way, the enemy from within, the crazy lunatics that we have, the fascists, the Marxists, the communists, the people that we have that are actually the country, not her, she’s not running it and Biden’s not running it either, and you all know that. Those people are more dangerous, the enemy from within than Russia and China and other people. Because if you have a smart president, you’ll be able to handle them very well. But Kamala Harris, lying Kamala is called the tax queen because she loves taxes.
Donald Trump Rally Juneau Wisconsin 2024-10-06
https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/trump-rally-in-juneau-wisconsin
https://www.c-span.org/video/?538977-1/president-trump-campaigns-juneau-wisconsin
TRUMP: I wasn’t unhinged. You know — you know what they are? They’re a party of sound bites, fair (ph). Somebody asked me can they be brought together? You know, it’s very — I never thought — really, I wasn’t thinking like they could because they are — they’re very different.
And it is the enemy from within and they’re very dangerous. They are Marxists and Communists and Fascists. And they’re saying — I use a guy like Adam Schiff because they made up the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. It took two years to solve the problem.
Absolutely nothing was done wrong, et cetera. They’re dangerous for our country. We have China, we have Russia, we have all these countries.
If you have a smart president, they can all be handled.
The more difficult are, you know, the Pelosis. These people, they’re so sick, and they’re so evil. If they would spend their time trying to make America great again, we would have — it would be so easy to make this country great.
But when I heard about that, they were saying, I was, like, threatening. I’m not threatening anybody. They’re the ones doing the threatening. They do phony investigations. I have been investigated more than Alphonse Capone. He was the greatest gangster.
Former President Donald J. Trump, R-Fla., Presidential Candidate, Participates in a Fox News Town Hall, Cumming, Georgia.” Political Transcript Wire, Oct 16, 2024. ProQuest
https://www.proquest.com/wire-feeds/former-president-donald-j-trump-r-fla/docview/3117044965/se-2