Karl Rove Tells Trump to ‘Tone Down the Rhetoric’: Stalin Used Phrase ‘Enemy of the People’

Karl Rove advised President Donald Trump to cut out his “over the top” anti-media rhetoric on Fox News Monday, in light of his tweet doubling down on calling the press the “enemy of the people.”

Trump tweeted over the weekend yet another attack on the media, writing “they are the Enemy of the People,” and: “[They] purposely cause great division & distrust. They can also cause War! They are very dangerous & sick!”

Rove, George W. Bush‘s former Deputy Chief of Staff, told Trump to suck it up.

“I think this is over the top. Every president has problems with the media. I was in the White House for seven years, I didn’t like the coverage they gave George W. Bush, particularly the liberal New York Times.”

Rove said the president should criticize the media “on a case-by-case basis,” and “make a respectful disagreement.” (Odds Trump takes Rove’s advice?) “I think calling names is not helpful to our country from any side.”

The former White House official then addressed Trump’s use of the phrase “enemy of the people” to describe the press.

“That just grates on me,” he said. “I grew up during the time of the Cold War. That is a phrase that was used by Stalin against the enemies of the communist regime. I think the president would be well advised to tone down the rhetoric.”

Rove went on to note that Trump’s disapproval ratings are high, and that he can’t simply appeal to his “hard-core” supporters at rallies.

Watch above, via Fox News.

[image via screengrab]

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