MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
With a little more than three weeks until Election Day, the two major party presidential candidates are using very different language to appeal to voters.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Vice President Harris has been appealing to Republicans - people who may not agree with the Democrat on some issues, but do agree about Donald Trump. And as she tries to broaden her support, former President Trump goes narrow. In an interview that aired on Fox News yesterday, Trump cast his ideological opponents as threats to the country. He talked of using the National Guard or the regular military to, as he put it, quote, "handle violent threats after the election."
MARTIN: Here to talk about this campaign rhetoric is NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben. Good morning, Danielle.
DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN, BYLINE: Hey, Michel.
MARTIN: So let's start with that interview on Fox News Business. What did Trump say?
KURTZLEBEN: Well, Trump spoke with Maria Bartiromo, and it was overall a very friendly interview that she gave him. And at one point, she asked him this question that itself portrayed undocumented immigrants as dangerous, which is not true. But then she took a turn, and she asked Trump if Election Day would be peaceful. And Trump responded by saying this.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DONALD TRUMP: I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they're the - and it should be very easily handled by - if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.
KURTZLEBEN: And then later, he did it again, and specifically named California Democratic Senate candidate Adam Schiff - also a member of the House - as one of those enemies from within. And he also called Schiff a sleazebag.
MARTIN: Danielle, Trump has always been known throughout his political career for demonizing people he doesn't agree with...
KURTZLEBEN: Right.
MARTIN: ...And calling them names. But I take it that this really is kind of next level.
KURTZLEBEN: Yeah, you're absolutely right. For his entire political career, Trump has used authoritarian language, nativistic language. He praises authoritarians, so yes, that's the baseline we're working with here. But he has been ratcheting things up in recent weeks continually. At one rally, he said police violence could curb crime. At a rally this weekend, he said that he'd use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to detain or deport people. And now he's threatening to use the military on his political or ideological opponents, and ratcheting up insults recently, as well. He's been calling Kamala Harris mentally disabled, and just continually insulting her intelligence. Now, I want to add here, by the way, I asked the campaign for clarification on what he meant about using the National Guard or military against his opponents and have not heard back.
MARTIN: Well, let's talk about Vice President Harris then. How does this language compare with what she is saying to voters?
KURTZLEBEN: The differences simply could not be more stark, and they were already stark before any of this. Now, she has said, for example, that she wants a Republican in her cabinet. And when I was out with her in Arizona last week, she spoke to a group of Republicans for Harris there, and she announced that she wants a bipartisan council to advise her on policy as president. In fact, she's reached across the aisle so much that some in her base - progressives - are annoyed. Now, Trump, on the other hand - he's saying there's an invasion of dangerous immigrants, and not only that, but his political opponents are even more dangerous and may have to be dealt with by force. And I want to be clear here. I'm not just talking about electoral strategy. Trump is using this rhetoric at a time that we know people are very willing to commit political violence, whether it's January 6 or would-be assassins. Amid all of that, he's turning up the temperature.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben on the campaign trail. Danielle, thank you.
KURTZLEBEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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