Trump’s ‘enemies within’ and the electionspublished at 4:03 PM British Summer Time

4:03pm BST

Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, reporting from Washington DC

Where does the greatest threat to American security and the elections come from?

Donald Trump’s speech that “enemies within” pose a greater risk than Russia and China is a sign of how differently he talks about the world compared to the national security community.

US intelligence services have warned in recent months of election interference by China, Russia and also Iran.

Their concern is that cyber attacks or social media campaigns could try to influence the outcome of the election or undermine its legitimacy.

But in an interview, Donald Trump singled out domestic protesters – “radical left-wing lunatics” – as the biggest risk to the election itself. In a speech, he referred to Congressman Adam Schiff, who led the impeachment case against him, as one of the “enemies within.”

Trump’s comments that the National Guard or even the military could be used to tackle protests will bring back memories of 2020, when he spoke about their use to tackle protests over the death of George Floyd.

That put some military leaders in what they considered uncomfortable positions.

His comments are a stark reminder that domestic divisions, wherever they come from, rather than foreign interference, could end up being the biggest problem in November and its aftermath.