'What's fascism?' GOP lawmaker enraged as CNN puts him on spot over Trump threat
CNN host John Berman enraged Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) after he was asked about former President Donald Trump's threat to deploy the military to fight "the enemy from within" during U.S. elections.
"I do want to ask you about Donald Trump's comments about the quote enemy from within," Berman told Waltz during a Tuesday interview. "He says he's talking about sick people, radical left lunatics."
"It should be very easily handled, if necessary, by the National Guard or if really necessary by the military," the CNN host quoted Trump. "He went on to identify Adam Schiff as one of these people."
Berman wondered if Waltz, a veteran, would support deploying the military against Rep. Schiff (D-CA).
"Well, I don't think that's what he said, John," Waltz said, denying Trump's quote. "I think you're connecting some dots there."
"But you're not suggesting deploying military against him," Berman said of Schiff. "Do you want to deploy military against Adam Schiff?"
Waltz admitted he did not want to deploy the military against the Democratic lawmaker.
"Do you think, Congressman, do you think deploying military against political opponents is something that is responsible to discuss from political candidates?" the CNN host asked.
"I think it's responsible to discuss deploying the National Guard, which is clearly part of the military, John, to keep our streets safe, to keep rioters out of the street," Waltz replied. "And that's what he was talking about. And that is not good for the country."
"Well, again, he called Adam Schiff a lunatic, and specifically was talking about lunatics for the military," the CNN host noted.
Waltz attacked CNN: "People are on this network calling Trump, calling Trump Hitler, and the next coming of another dictator, and two people have tried to kill him."
"I do understand you have talked about some of the rhetoric that's been at play here, and we could talk about Mark Milley calling Donald Trump a fascist, but you yourself sometimes use heated rhetoric," Berman shot back. "You've referred, you did an interview with Newsmax where you're talking about socialists, seeming to refer to Vice President Harris as a socialist."
"Socialism is a long-standing political ideology," Waltz said. "That's very different than saying someone is going to be the world's most god — I mean, god-awful dictator in Hitler, and that clearly is radicalizing people to take action where they believe the ends justify the means to kill him."
"What's fascism?" Berman pressed.
"I don't think that's a fair comparison at all, John," Waltz asserted.
"You don't?" the CNN host reacted. "I mean, you talk about Marxism, you talk about socialism, and do you think Kamala Harris is a Marxist or a socialist?"
ALSO READ: 'I'm advocating Christian nationalism': Josh Hawley's ties to Project 2025 exposed
Waltz argued Harris had proposed Marxist policies.
"All I'm saying, Congressman, is that when Mark Milley says, no one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump, now I realize he's a total fascist," Berman explained. "He's saying that Donald Trump espouses fascist policies, and it's a political ideology. Fascism is a political ideology."