As another election year is before us, we see the reemergence of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. Despite the many legal challenges before him, he once again appears to be a front-runner for the Republican party, taking aim at completely overturning our Constitution and, through the help of his many cronies, becoming a dictator along the lines of the infamous Adolf Hitler. Although one may find this comparison to be a stretch, consider that in his first term, Trump openly flirted with the idea of doing away with term limits altogether, assuming the role of being a “forever president”. The election of Trump in 2024 would mean the end of America’s democratic experiment, and some more examples of similarities between Trump and Hitler will prove this point.
Hitler viewed himself as creating a third Reich (English for empire) to follow the 1st and 2nd Reich that had existed before him. In his mind, he believed he was bringing Germany back to the glory it had seen in times past. After the defeat of World War 1 and the installation of a democratic government in the 1920s, Hitler believed Germany needed to be restored to its former glory in the wake of its “shaming” due to the Treaty of Versailles. This pledge to restore Germany to its rightful status helped to propel the Nazi party to power. Trump has made a similar pledge in his political campaigns by pledging to “Make America Great Again”
From the view of the Trump campaign, one could surmise that America is in a similar place to Germany in the 1920s. In his current Presidential campaign, he has notoriously claimed that immigrants are flooding the country, poisoning the blood of America, a statement that harkens directly to Hitler’s claims about the Jews poisoning the blood of the Germanic people. Trump has also zeroed in on current economic woes Americans have faced, specifically inflation, claiming President Biden has failed his economic duties and raised the cost of living of most Americans. It is not a far stretch to compare this situation to that of Germany in the 1920s and their economic struggles, especially in terms of inflation. While German inflation at the time was much worse than what America is currently facing, Trump, like Hitler, is using the situation to further his agenda, exploiting public sentiment on the issue to further his campaign.
Both Hitler and Trump used the cult of personality to gain favor and support. Hitler developed his oratorical skills and used carefully crafted movements and phrases to capture public attention, as does Trump. By promising to “Make America Great Again” and criticizing “shithole countries,” Trump uses oratorical catchphrases the same way Hitler would when he was referring to Germany as the Fatherland that its people must fight for. Images of Hitler shown throughout Germany and its territories are no different than the pictures of Trump that are carried around by his followers and shown on every piece of his merchandise. The fact that Trump seems to have been running for president consistently for almost a decade also furthers his cult of personality because he has consistently remained at the forefront of media through all of his campaigns.
The question before America is simple: what does anyone hope to gain from another Trump presidency? Do those who support him really believe that he is loyal to them and their needs? It is abundantly clear that this man is a narcissist who only seeks to further his own agenda, having nothing in common with the people who have supported him. This can be seen in the fact that the common people who supported him during the January 6th insurrection have either ended up in jail or worse, all while he has faced no true consequences for instigating the treasonous actions of that day. A vote for Trump in 2024 is a vote for fascism, a reincarnation of the same spirit that brought about the vile reign of Hitler and the 3rd Reich, and our nation will truly be ruined.
Brian “BJ” Hjelmervik and John Gray
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