Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair
Authoritarian leaders, like many others, need an enemy. Hitler’s enemy was the Jews (among others); for Netanyahu, it’s been the Palestinians, and for Donald Trump and his MAGA followers, it’s been “immigrants” (among others). For generations in the U.S., African Americans have been the targeted enemy for “white” people, and for centuries women and girls have been the enemy of patriarchal power.
In Mein Kampf, Hitler characterized the Jew in the following terms:
“The Jew was only and always a parasite in the body of other people. … The Jews are a people under whose parasitism the whole of honest humanity is suffering/”
“The spider was slowly beginning to suck the blood out of the people’s pores. … The Jew is a true blood sucker that attaches himself to the body of the unhappy people.”
Netanyahu denies the history of the Palestinians in what is called the “Holy Lands,” insisting that Palestinians only lived in what is now Israel because Jewish settlers in the 19th century created the farms and factories that attracted migrant workers from Arab lands:
“They [Palestinians] reconstructed history and said they’ve been here for centuries – no they haven’t, they weren’t there at all.”
And Trump famously denounced undocumented immigrants as “animals,” insisting:
“We have people coming into the country or trying to come in; we’re stopping a lot of them. And we’re taking people out of the country; you wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. … These aren’t people, these are animals.”
The enemy plays an essential role in an authoritarian society – it is the “other” who differentiates the “us” from the “them.” This other is the perfect target to help mobilize and strengthen the “us” group’s sense of self-identity and unity. And the other plays a critical role in legitimizing the power and authority of those like Hitler, Netanyahu, Trump and so many others. Most troubling, the enemy has been part of human civilization since time immemorial.
Turning the other into the enemy turns the other into a thing, a non-person. In this way, the other’s ontological being is dehumanized. Even worse, the dehumanized enemy is rendered a threatening, diabolical and untrustworthy entity. Thus, the enemy can have no — not any — identity other than that which those in power or authority attribute to it. Too often his attributed identity invokes an intense emotional response among the others. This often fuels hatred and violence, sometimes even mass killings, as in Hitler’s Germany and of Palestinians in Gaza.
The enemy will likely play a central role among Trump’s next administration and will be targeted at three distinct categories – individuals, the “deep state” and social groups.
Among the individuals Trump has targeted as enemies are leading national political figures including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney and Adam Schiff; federal officials Mark Milley, James Comey and Jack Smith; New York legal officials Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Mark Pomerantz and Arthur Engoron; oligarch Mark Zuckerberg; and his former attorney Michael Cohen; among others.
Trump has insisted, “We will demolish the deep state.” According to one source, the deep state “refers to an alleged shadowy group of powerful bureaucrats and officials who, according to many, wield undue influence over government policies, regardless of the elected administration.”
Trump has identified Kash Patel, his nominee to head the FBI, to lead the charge against the deep state. In conversation with MAGA strategist Steve Bannon Patel insisted,
“We will go and find the conspirators—not just in government, but in the media. Yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens to help Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We’re going to come after you, whither its criminally or civilly.”
Like Trump, Patel has his own “enemies list” that includes current FBI director Christopher Wray; former attorney general Bill Barr; John Bolton, former Republican official; Mark Esper, Trump’s former secretary of defense,
Rod Rosenstein, a deputy attorney general; Pat Cipollone, Trump’s White House counsel; and Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide; among many others.
Going further, Trump’s enemies include a host of social groups that are easily targeted. Foremost on this social “enemies list” are immigrants. He’s denounced them as “animals,” “stone cold killers,” the “worst people” and the “enemy from within” as well as rapists, “blood thirsty criminals” and “most violent people on earth” ruining the “fabric” of the country. During his first term as president, Trump deported 1.5 million people. Vice-President-elect JD Vance suggested that 1 million people could be deported each year after Trump takes office.
Another enemy are transgender children. Trump promises that when he takes office, he will sign “a new executive order instructing every federal agency to cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age.”
On another front, Trump has vowed to “deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again.” Going further, he promises to fire “radical Left” college accreditors dominated by “Marxists, maniacs and lunatics,” specifically targeting those supporting diversity, equity and inclusion programs. In addition, he says he will dismantle of the U.S. Department of Education.
Trump has singled out the media or press as a special enemy. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), “Trump insulted, attacked, or threatened the media at least 108 times in public speeches or remarks from September 1 to October 24.” It adds, “This figure does not include social media posts or remarks from others connected to the campaign.” In addition, it notes that Trump referred to the media as “fake news” “as many as 2,000 times during his presidency.” He said he will use his authority to have broadcasters’ licenses revoked; will investigate Comcast (NBC News and MSNBC); and jail some journalists.
Trump and his new administrative hatchet team have not yet taken office – so the worst lies ahead. In all likelihood many on Trump’s, Patel’s and still other “enemies lists” will be revised and updated as Trump & company take power. Sadly, Trump’s rage against the “enemy” will continue and be revised as the changing political climate warrants. And it will only get worse, more vengeful, if he faces a serious economic recession or other crisis. The worst is yet to come.