The Hoax

Trump Will Use The Military Against Americans

On October 13, during an interview on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, Donald Trump addressed concerns about potential unrest in the 2024 election. He acknowledged that if necessary, the National Guard or military might be needed to maintain order on election day from the “enemy within”, or Left wing radicals who want to sow unrest on election day. Media outlets quickly twisted his comments to suggest he was advocating military action against American citizens if he won. Reports circulated that Trump was threatening to target his political opponents with armed force, fueling fears of authoritarianism.

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What Really Happened

Trump Said The Military Might Be Needed To Maintain Order “If Necessary”

The claim that Trump wants to deploy the military against Americans is a distortion. During his interview, Trump was asked about potential Election Day unrest, particularly from radical left groups, which he referred to as “the enemy from within.” He noted that under extreme circumstances, the National Guard or military might be necessary to maintain order, emphasizing that it would be a last resort. Yet headlines like “Trump suggests using military against ‘enemy from within’ on Election Day” exaggerated his words, making it sound as though he were calling for military action against Americans. Outlets like The Washington Post and CNN furthered this narrative by claiming Trump “urged” military action when he was merely acknowledging it as a hypothetical, extreme measure.

The Two Contexts of “Enemies Within”

The “Enemies Within Hoax” relies on selectively combining two separate quotes from Trump.

In one instance, he used the term “enemy within” to describe radical figures within the government—individuals like Kamala Harris, who repeatedly compares Trump to Hitler, and Adam Schiff, who falsely claimed he had proof that Trump colluded with Russia (The Russian Collusion Hoax).

KGW8- “I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within, not even the people that have come in and [are destroying] our country — I don’t think they’re the problem in terms of Election Day — I think the bigger problem are the people from within,” Trump said.

“We have some very bad people; we have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And it should be very easily handled, if necessary, by the National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen,” Trump added.

In a separate context, Trump has used “enemy within” to refer to far-left agitators who might disrupt Election Day and interfere with the voting process. These two uses of the same phrase were combined to misrepresent Trump’s remarks.

Adding to the distortion, Trump isn’t even in office—only the Biden administration could authorize military deployment in response to unrest. Yet media outlets, Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz spread this hoax widely, amplifying fear with a false narrative.

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Hoaxology | How The Hoax Was Made

Here’s how this hoax was made.

Out-of-Context Quote

Media outlets like CNN selectively edited Trump’s statement about using the National Guard or military “if really necessary.” By omitting this conditional phrasing, they turned his words into an implied threat, suggesting he was calling for military action against Americans if he won.

Circular Reporting

The false narrative about Trump “using the military against citizens” began with one or two media outlets’ sensationalized reports, which were repeated by others without verifying the context. As this claim circulated, it gained false credibility. Figures like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz then repeated it at rallies and on social media, further amplifying the distortion and heightening public fear.

See The Full Video Debunk:

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