Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds sparred with CNN host Jim Acosta Tuesday over Republican nominee Donald Trump’s “enemy from within” remarks.

Trump suggested that using the National Guard and possibly the military against “the enemy from within” if they are to cause chaos on Election Day during an Oct. 14 interview on Fox News. Acosta pressed Donalds on whether it is acceptable for Trump to accuse some prominent Democrats, namely California Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, are enemies from within.

“I know that Adam Schiff when he was chairman of the Intelligence Committee was leaking information to the press that was classified information, supposed to be held in the skiff. This is why then-Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy kicked Schiff off of the Intelligence Committee because he abused his purposes for political reasons. That is dangerous. It’s a very dangerous thing,” Donalds said. “Number two, Donald Trump was answering a question from [Fox News host] Maria Bartiromo, and what Maria Bartiromo was asking about was unrest in the streets … If you just go back to the summer of 2020, the Summer of Love like the left likes to talk about, you had riots in every major city in the country. That is very dangerous and that is very concerning.”

“So congressman, you’d be okay with Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi being deemed the enemy from within? Would you go along with them being rounded up, would you go along with them being arrested?” Acosta asked, with Donalds replying “absolutely not.”

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Donalds argued that Trump did not call on Schiff or Pelosi to be arrested, but expressed concern about their response if the former president is reelected. The Florida representative said Schiff, the former House Intelligence Committee chairman, laundered “phony intelligence” into the political system in 2016, 2017 and 2018 related to the now-debunked allegations that Trump colluded with the Russian government during the 2016 election.

Acosta then asked the Florida congressman if Trump’s remark should be “denounced,” leading Donalds to say that Trump never “weaponized” the Department of Justice or the U.S. military to go after his political opponents. Acosta claimed Donalds’ answer was not “in line with reality” as he has heard Trump and his supporters chant for former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to be locked up during the 2016 campaign.

“Okay congressman, so I’m asking you if Donald Trump orders people inside this country, citizens like Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi to be arrested, you’re saying, I think I just heard you say a few moments ago that you would not go along with that. So, why not denounce what the former president is saying when he calls them the enemy from within? Shouldn’t that be denounced?” Acosta asked.

“Jim, are you gonna let me answer your question? Here you go. Donald Trump has been president for 4 years already. When he was President of the United States, did he weaponize the Justice Department against his political rivals? No, he did not,” Donalds said. “When he was President of the United States, did he order the National Guard or Secret Service or the U.S. military to go after his ‘rivals?’ No, he did not … No, Jim, do you want an answer, I’m gonna give you an answer. You may not like it, but I’m gonna give you one nonetheless.”

Acosta then pointed to Trump’s comment about former golf player Arnold Palmer’s genitalia during a Saturday rally, asking Donalds if that is appropriate speech for a president. Donalds said the American people are more concerned with improving the economy and securing the U.S.-Mexico border than Trump making a crude joke.

“I guess my question is, the larger question is, when you have a president, somebody’s running for president talking about Democrats being the enemy from within, when he’s making lewd comments about professional golfers, doesn’t a candidate’s character matter?” Acosta asked.  “Does Donald Trump have the character in your view to be the President of the United States?”

“Well let’s examine that. First of all, I would say, yes he does. You know why? Because he was president and the country was better off when he was president. The world was actually safe when he was president, where there were no new world wars when he was president. So he did a very good job, the American people remember that,” Donalds replied.

Over 2 million illegal migrants have been encountered by Border Patrol in the 2024 fiscal year, and nearly 100 individuals on the U.S. terror watch list have been released into the U.S. during the Biden-Harris administration. Donalds further brought up the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan which led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, whom Trump honored during an event commemorating the third year of their deaths.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/CNN)