Donald Trump has long openly admired the world’s dictators and three weeks before the US presidential election he’s taking a page from the authoritarian playbook with escalating threats against the “enemy from within”, writes The Barrons.

One of Trump’s hallmarks as president was his constant use of the phrase “enemy of the people” to describe the media - or at least the media which didn’t paint him in a good light.

But as polls show him with a good chance of beating Kamala Harris next month to regain the White House, Trump got attention Sunday when he called for sending the US military to combat a much broader group of Americans.

Asked on Trump-friendly Fox News whether he expected Election Day would be peaceful, the Republican cited internal enemies: “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. The enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia and all these countries”.

The only specific “enemy” that Trump identified was senior Democratic congressman and Senate candidate Adam Schiff, whom he described as “a sleazebag” and “major lowlife”.