Authoritarianism Expert Warns Of What Trump's New Promise Really Means

Critics are calling out Donald Trump after the former president on Sunday advocated for police to be allowed “one really violent day” in which they could be “extraordinarily rough” with anyone they suspect of a crime.

“One rough hour, and I mean real rough, the word will get out, and it will end immediately. End immediately,” Trump said of his plan to stop crime. “You know, it’ll end immediately.”

Speaking in the swing state of Pennsylvania, Trump suggested that Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Penn.) ― who, outside of politics, owns auto dealerships ― could somehow be in charge of such an effort “for one day.”

“This chills me,” historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of books about fascism and authoritarianism, wrote on X.

She added:

Others also slammed Trump, with many pointing to frightening historical parallels going back to Nazi Germany:

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