It might be confusing for a non English speaker: The important part is: “characterize … as anything other than one of them.” This structure means: “to descri

It might be confusing for a non English speaker: The important part is: “characterize … as anything other than one of them.” This structure means: “to describe (someone) not as belonging to a certain group, but as belonging to some other group instead.” “Them” here points back to the MAGA gang (mentioned earlier in the sentence). So, “one of them” = “a member of the MAGA gang.” Other than” in English means “except” or “different from.” “Anything other than one of them” = “any possible identity, except being part of MAGA.” In English, this formula has a special pragmatic force: Literal meaning: “Describe as any category that is not X.” Implied meaning: “The truth is probably X, but the speaker is trying to deny it.” This works because if there weren’t evidence for “X,” there would be no need to deny or redirect away from it.