White House, Media Compare Trump to Hitler Over 'Vermin' Remark
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Former President Donald Trump's description of political enemies as "vermin" at a rally last Saturday drew criticism from the White House and some media outlets.
Key Details: White House Spokesman Andrew Bates cited a Washington Post (Lean Left) article comparing Trump's comments to statements from Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Bates said Trump promised an "abuse of power" that would jeopardize individual rights.
Key Quotes: Trump said, "We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, that lie and steal and cheat on elections." Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said, "On a weekend when most Americans were honoring our nation’s heroes, Donald Trump parroted the autocratic language of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini — two dictators many U.S. veterans gave their lives fighting, in order to defeat exactly the kind of un-American ideas Trump now champions."
For Context: Trump is inching closer to the Republican nomination, and the Biden campaign is moving to define the race as an existential test for U.S. democracy.
How the Media Covered it: Some left-rated sources said Trump has a history of using terms also used by infamous dictators, including "fascists", "retribution", and "enemies of the people." Right-rated sources covered the discussion less overall.
Why the Difference? Many people on the left see Trump and Republicans as threats to democracy. Many on the right believe the same about Biden and Democrats. Read more about this divide.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
How Trump’s rhetoric compares with Hitler’s
Donald Trump has long toyed with the language of famous autocrats, authoritarians and fascists. Think: “enemy of the people,” “retribution” and the frequent, years-long allusions to political violence.
But even by his standards, the former president is now mining darker territory — with overtones of some of the ugliest episodes in recent world history.
The Washington Post this weekend summarized Trump’s Veterans Day speech in a headline thusly: “Trump calls political enemies ‘vermin,’ echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini.”
Trump not only likened his political opponents to “vermin” but suggested they represent a “threat...
From the Right
White House attacks Trump's Veterans Day 'vermin' comments
The Biden White House pushed back on Donald Trump's use of the term "vermin" to describe his political opponents, claiming the former president echoed fascist dictators.
In a Veterans Day speech, Trump vowed to, if he wins the presidency in 2024, "root out ... radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country."
"The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave than the threat from within," he continued.
The White House responded to Trump's speech by noting that the administration will not comment on the...
From the Center
Trump’s incendiary ‘vermin’ remarks prompt backlash
Former President Trump prompted backlash for comparing his political enemies to “vermin” who needed to be exposed, with critics drawing comparisons to dictators from decades ago.
Trump, in a Veterans Day speech in New Hampshire, pledged to “root out … the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country,” the latest in a growing line of increasingly incendiary comments about his political opponents heading into the 2024 election.
The former president warned the audience of supporters that “the threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from...
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