Democratic Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.) said Tuesday that the level to which President Donald Trump has sunk in insulting political opponents would embarrass even Nicaraguan dictators.
Himes was referring to Trump's comment in Ohio on Monday, when he called Democrats who did not cheer positive news at his State of the Union address last week "un-American" and "treasonous." Trump said that "somebody" had called their reactions treasonous, and he talked about it while the crowd laughed.
"Even on positive news, really positive news like that they were like death, and un-American," he said. "Somebody said 'treasonous.' I mean, yeah, I guess. Why not? Can we call that treason?"
"Why not?" Trump added. "I mean they certainly didn't seem to love our country very much."
Himes told CNN host John Berman that Trump's comments are bringing America down to the level of dictatorships in Nicaragua and Asia.
"You know, John, it's yet the latest installment of this president taking our democracy and our country into the gutter," Himes said. "There are Nicaraguan dictators, there are Asian dictators, who would be embarrassed to call their political opponents—because they happen to disagree politically—'treasonous' or 'un-American.'"
Himes did not expand on the behavior of dictators in Nicaragua and Asia, but they have a history of taking extreme action against political opponents. China maintains one-party rule and jails political dissidents, while past Asian dictators such as Cambodia's Pol Pot committed grave atrocities. Famous Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle had his political opponents jailed and tortured.
Himes said Democrats' reactions to Trump's speech last week were fairer than Republicans' treatment of former President Barack Obama. He pointed to Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.) shouting "you lie" during Obama's address to a joint session of Congress in 2009 as evidence, but he concluded that Trump's danger to democracy is the larger issue.
"The larger point here, John, is that this president, and in that moment, dragged this country deep into the mud of autocracy and dictatorship, as opposed to the kind of democracy that—whether you watch Fox News or [MSNBC host] Rachel Maddow—you ought to aspire this country to have," Himes concluded.