In November, the incumbent Democrat in the White House is expected to face the same Republican he defeated in the 2020 presidential election. President Biden kicked off 2024 campaigning against the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump, but Mr. Biden wanted his audience to think of an infamous 20th century dictator, too.
“He talks about the blood of America is being poisoned, echoing the same exact language used in Nazi Germany,” Mr. Biden said in a major campaign speech from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, describing Mr. Trump’s remarks about immigrants. Mr. Trump also referred to his political opponents as “vermin,” which the Biden campaign has said parrots Hitler-like rhetoric.
From the moment he arrived on the national political scene in 2015, Mr. Trump’s words and actions have spurred an endless debate over the meanings of fascism and authoritarianism, and whether he poses a unique threat to American democracy. By comparing him to Hitler, Mr. Biden is taking his warnings to the most extreme historical degree possible.
In this episode of History As It Happens, Holocaust scholar Omer Bartov of Brown University discusses the problems with Nazi analogies in contemporary politics. Mr. Bartov also delves into the debates over fascism, populism and illiberalism as he analyzes the origins of Mr. Trump’s appeal. Mr. Trump remains the heavy favorite to win the GOP nomination despite having tried to overturn the 2020 election by, among other tactics, egging on a mob to attack Congress.
“It’s not good to make too many analogies with the Nazis and with Hitler, because if you do that Hitler is always going to win. They were so bad that any comparison you make with them would make you look relatively benign,” Mr. Bartov said.
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