The US Republican Party is “the most dangerous organisation in human history”, Noam Chomsky has said.
The academic and author made the claim during an interview with the BBC.
“It’s an outrageous statement and when I said it, I said ‘Look, this is a very outrageous statement’”. he said. “But it’s true.”
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Asked by Newsnight host Evan Davis whether the party was really worse than an organisation like Isis, the author and academic replied: “Is Isis dedicated to trying to destroy the prospects for organised human existence?
“What does it mean to say not only are we not doing anything about climate change but we’re trying to accelerate the race to the precipice?
“It doesn’t matter whether they genuinely believe it or not… if the consequence of that is ‘let’s use more fossil fuels, let’s refuse to subsidise developing countries, let’s eliminate regulations that reduce greenhouse gases’. If that’s the consequence, that’s extremely dangerous.”
The academic has previously claimed the Republicans are “overwhelmingly” committed to destroying human life on earth.
Asked about the consequences of Donald Trump’s presidency, Mr Chomsky replied: “The main damage he’ll do is to the world, and it’s already happening.
"The most significant aspect of the Trump election – and it’s not just Trump, it’s the whole Republican Party – is their departing from the rest of the world on climate change.
Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons
Show all 33
Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons
1/33
Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists
2/33
Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea
3/33
Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un
4/33
Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe
5/33
Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt
6/33
The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group
7/33
Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals
8/33
Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership
9/33
Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy
10/33
Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere
11/33
The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state
12/33
Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states
13/33
One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party
14/33
Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows
15/33
A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House
16/33
Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office
17/33
The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism
18/33
The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President
19/33
Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed
20/33
Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country
21/33
Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally
22/33
Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia
23/33
North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power
24/33
Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK
25/33
When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge"
26/33
A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House
27/33
Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban
28/33
Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests
29/33
Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President
30/33
British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President
31/33
One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts"
32/33
British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's
33/33
Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad
1/33
Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists
2/33
Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea
3/33
Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un
4/33
Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe
5/33
Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt
6/33
The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group
7/33
Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals
8/33
Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership
9/33
Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy
10/33
Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere
11/33
The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state
12/33
Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states
13/33
One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party
14/33
Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows
15/33
A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House
16/33
Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office
17/33
The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism
18/33
The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President
19/33
Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed
20/33
Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country
21/33
Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally
22/33
Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia
23/33
North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power
24/33
Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK
25/33
When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge"
26/33
A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House
27/33
Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban
28/33
Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests
29/33
Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President
30/33
British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President
31/33
One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts"
32/33
British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's
33/33
Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad
“It’s a crucial issue. It’s an existential threat. Now we have this astonishing spectacle of the United States alone in the world, not only refusing to participate in efforts to deal with climate change but dedicated to undermining them.
“It’s not just Trump - every single Republican leader is the same…In the Republican primaries, every single candidate either denied that climate change was happening or, when you get to the so-called moderates like Jeb Bush or [John] Kasich, they say ‘well maybe it’s happening but we shouldn’t do anything about it’. It’s 100 per cent refusal.”
Explaining the popularity of Mr Trump to US voters, the academic said: “The Democrats gave up on the working class 40 years ago. The working class is just not their constituency.
“The Republicans claim to be but they’re basically their class enemy. However, they can appeal to people on the basis of non-economic claims about religion, white supremacy…identity politics.
“White supremacy is very deeply rooted in the United States… it ranks higher than even South Africa. There’s no doubt there was a racist motivation behind [Mr Trump’s victory].”
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