Trump was flawed — but comparisons with Hitler are obscene 

There can be no doubt that Donald Trump’s politics significantly denigrated the political system in the United States. Since he entered the White House in 2016, he behaved like a petulant child, throwing the toys out of his pram whenever he didn’t get his own way. He was obstinate, blunt and often un-statesman like — launching a thousand electronic invectives over Twitter at his many enemies, notably the mainstream media. Due to his idiosyncratic statecraft, it was almost inevitable he would be met with widespread opprobrium.

It was clear from day one of his presidency that his critics were going to find a way to tarnish him. The internet became a haven for many anti-Trump advocates willing, at a seconds notice, to dive into the latest Trump thread, keen to pour scorn on him. Many of whom resorted to Godwin’s law. The adage, developed by the author Mike Godwin, states that  “as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” Giving birth to what many of his supporters call Trump Derangement Syndrome. Or in meme culture “orange man bad”.

References to Trump as Hitler were not limited to social media. Examples in serious journalism are legion. Here, the allusions to Nazism are often implicit. Although sometimes oblique, the mask often slips and these references become explicit. The New York Times’ Charles Blow set a precedent. Many believe the op-ed columnist to be the first journalist to make the Nazi analogy publicly in the media. Blow’s column from October 19 2017 was entitled “Trump isn’t Hitler, but the lying…”  It’s a subtle title. It’s not that he is the worst, most evil man in history, but pretty close.

By far the most extreme version of this nazi analogy is known as reductio ad hitlerum an association fallacy first defined by its proponent, Leo Strauss, in 1951. This practice falsely attributes anything that can be connected to Hitler — vegetarianism to rigorous adherence of rules —- must self-evidently be stripped of all good intention, purely because Hitler was an evil man. Thus, Trump famously eschews alcohol. Guess who else was teetotal…

Putting the philosophical debate over the logical (in)consistency of induction aside, the damage being done to the historical method is far more damaging. The constant need for many in the media to make the Trump-as-Hitler analogy not only trivialises the vile National Socialist regime, it also strips and demeans the importance and historical significance of the Holocaust.

Some may make the argument that the media use this tactic as clickbait: after all, shock value is an easy way to sell papers. But you would expect politicians to behave differently. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Representative from New York known as “AOC”, referred to the migrant detention centres Trump set up in an attempt to stem the flow of illegal immigration on the southern US border as “concentration camps”. AOC told CNN’s Jake Tapper: “This is an opportunity for us to talk about how we learn from our history in order to prevent it from ever happening…”

Even ex-politicians from Trump’s own party couldn’t help but make the same atrocious allusion to Hitler. In a recent Twitter video, Arnold Schwarzenegger discussed the Capitol riots on 6 January with reference to Kristallnacht. The former Republican governor of California conflated the storming of the Capitol with the anti-semitic Nazi pogrom of 1938 – labelling the event “the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States”.

It is fundamentally clear that the riot and break-in at the Capitol building was led and orchestrated by a bunch of reckless idiots, hellbent on contesting what they saw as a “fraudulent’” election. It was both dangerous and unconstitutional. But Kristallnacht? The night of broken glass as it is referred to by historians happened in Nazi Germany in November 1938. For two days, Jewish-owned businesses were targeted and synagogues were destroyed and set on fire. The sustained attack, initiated by the SA, or Sturmabteilung, the paramilitary arm of the Nazi party, caused the deaths of over 90 Jews. The pogrom resulted in the mass arrest of tens of thousands of Jews — all of whom were sent to concentration camps.

Kristallnacht was the catalyst that set in motion the Nazi Party’s campaign for the wholesale genocide of the Jewish people: the Holocaust.  An event so wicked and heinous that it remains unparalleled in the course of human history. It was ruthless, premeditated, cold and calculated. Devoid of all humanity, millions of Jewish people perished in the extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka.

In contrast, the Capitol Hill riot was carried out by a small, rowdy and opportunistic mob. To conflate one of the worst events of the 20th century with one of the most ill-conceived ones so far in the 21st century is as obscene as it is otiose.

You don’t have to be a fan of Trump to see what happens when you politicise one of the worst crimes against humanity — the trivialisation and minimisation of the Holocaust.

The end result of this ridiculous and hyperbolic analogy with Hitler is twofold. Not only does this tenuous comparison exaggerate the danger that Trump exhibited as President. It seeks to degrade and downplay the evil that Hitler actually carried out.

With the risk of sounding trite, Trump was the first President since Jimmy Carter to start no new wars. Hitler invaded 11 countries and started a world war which resulted in the deaths of at least 50 million, including five million of his own people. Hitler seized control of vast swathes of the press, installing Joseph Goebbels as his Minister for Propaganda. Far from seizing control of the Fourth Estate, Trump faced a daily diatribe from the media. To the best of my knowledge, Trump did not exterminate a race of people nor execute any of his critics. What about the lies? Yes, Trump lied many times, some of which were ridiculous, like the ratings of The Apprentice or that his Electoral College victory was the biggest since Reagan. The only thing that Trump and Hitler actually have in common is they were both made Time magazine man of the year: Hitler in 1938, Trump in 2016.

Trump’s critics often accuse him of fake news or twisting the facts to suit his own narrative. In reality, it is his critics, who, by exploiting the Holocaust, have done the most to damage historical objectivity.

Holocaust relativism is an assault on historical memory. It leads to the distortion of truth and gives fire to those who perpetuate the pernicious myth of Holocaust denial. Future generations will come to believe the horrific crimes carried out by the National Socialists were exaggerated. This could inadvertently encourage a climate of resentment and hostility towards Jewish people and potentially fuel anti-Semitism across the world.

The Holocaust is unparalleled in the course of human history for its depravity and barbarity. We all have a responsibility to make sure this is taught correctly and spoken about honestly. If it is not, future generations will come to believe this aberration of history is a common occurrence.

We may already have work to do. According to a study by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, two thirds of millennials could not identify what Auschwitz was, while 4 in 10 don’t know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. 

Last month we marked Holocaust Memorial Day, the annual event that brings together survivors and families of those that died in the Nazi camps. This year marks 75 years since the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp was liberated by our American allies. Those fortunate enough to survive will not be with us much longer. The memories of all those who perished under this cruel and despotic tyrant must be remembered forever. We learn from history. There is a reason the phrase ‘never again’ is attributed to the Holocaust.

In a world where virtue-signalling has become de rigueur, everything has the potential to be weaponised for political expediency. As a mark of respect and out of common decency, the Holocaust must not be used to score political points in an anaemic attempt to show how much you hate Donald Trump.

So please. Can we all just calm down a bit? I understand Trump was a deeply flawed President. But can we please put the Nazi card back in the deck?

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