Trump, Putin, Hitler
I want to thank the Times-call for publishing the opinion piece by Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post, “When Trump speaks, take him literally.” We do need to take Trump literally. I have been thinking about Trump’s silence around the death of Alexei Navalny. In contrast, this is the statement made by President Biden: “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Putin is responsible. What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality. Nobody should be fooled.” President Biden went on to discuss the lack of United States funding and the fall of Avdiivka has given Putin a pass in Ukraine. It is our duty to help support Ukraine. This is in the name of democracy. If Ukraine falls, this could lead to Putin going further. The blood of all the Ukrainians fighting for their democracy, world democracy, will be on our hands. I agree.
Trump supports Putin. He does not want to see the United States as a member of NATO. This was evident by the chilling comments made by Trump while speaking at a rally. Trump said he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to any NATO member that does not pay enough. He answered a question about getting support if they were attacked by saying, “You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent? … No, I would not protect you.”
What was sick is that after Trump’s statements, the people at the rally cheered. Trump’s comments show how ignorant he is of history and how dangerous he would be as president of the United States.
NATO was formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO consists of 31 members. Article 5 states, “An attack against one NATO member is an attack against all. This is at the core of the alliance, a promise of collective defense. Trump is trying to force the holdup of funds to Ukraine. In response, Liz Cheney said, “We have to take seriously the extent to which you’ve got a Putin wing of the Republican Party. I believe the issue this election cycle is making sure that the Putin wing of the Republican party does not take over the West Wing of the White House.”
Many of the things that Trump has done or said mimics Nazism. On Jan. 6, 2021, there was an attack on the United States Capitol to try and overthrow the election results and our government. In many ways, Trump’s rally beforehand reminded me of the videos I have watched when Hitler spoke to a crowd. The people at Trump’s rally were riled up and were ready for violence. I believe that and will never forget the images from that day.
On Nov. 11, 1923, Hitler tried to overthrow the German Republic. Hitler was convicted. At his trial, he spread propaganda. Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison, though he only served nine months. While in prison, Hitler started writing “Mein Kampf” (My Struggle). “Mein Kampf” promoted key components of Nazism, Hitler’s hatred of anyone that was Jewish, a racist world view and an aggressive foreign policy geared to gaining “Lebensraum,” living space in eastern Europe.
In 1942, Hitler told a crowd at the Sports Palace in Berlin, “And we say that the war will not end as the Jews imagine it will, with the uprooting of the Aryans, but the result of this war will be the complete annihilation of the Jews.” Hitler would also say that the Jew was “a parasite in the body of other peoples.”
What makes me ill is Trump has used some of the same statements. On Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, 2023, Trump compared political foes to vermin. Trump also praises autocrats and has described immigrants as poisoning the blood of our country.
If Trump gets back in the White House, our country will never be the same. Democracy will be destroyed. From day one he will practice revenge politics. Our country will be patterned after Putin. Do you really want that? Do you? I hope not.