Madeleine Albright: If Trump declares national emergency he’s a ‘bully with an army’

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says that President Trump declaring a national emergency in order to address illegal border crossings would be a “potential red line” that would be an example of “fascist” behavior.

In an interview with Vox.com promoting her new book, “Fascism: A Warning,” Albright noted a “long history” of undemocratic leaders using so-called emergencies to unilaterally seize control and subvert lawmaking bodies.

“He’s certainly anti-democratic, and I say so in the book, but I don’t call him a fascist because he isn’t violent. If he ends up declaring an emergency at the border over immigration, then I might change my position,” Albright says.

{mosads}”There’s a long history of fascists using ’emergencies’ to create fear and conflict, so that’s a potential red line,” she continued. “If Trump does that, then he really is a bully with an army.”

The former top U.S. diplomat said that any use of the military to “incite violence” on American soil would definitely constitute a point of no return.

“I’ll tell you where the line gets crossed: If Trump actually uses the military to deploy or incite violence, that’s when all bets are off. I’m very careful about who I call a fascist because I really do believe this is where the line is,” she said, according to Vox.

Albright, who served as chief of the State Department under former President Clinton, added that Trump’s attitude and remarks towards the press also exhibited “anti-democratic” tendencies.

“I do think his approach to the free press, to democratic institutions, to the independent judiciary, is extremely dangerous and anti-democratic. And his general disdain for the rule of law is genuinely alarming,” she added.

Trump has threatened to declare a national emergency to address illegal border crossings and circumvent Congress over border wall funding if lawmakers refuse to meet his spending demands.