by Whitney Robison
Yes, I am going to compare Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. Although I wouldn’t completely agree about all of their similarities, you must admit history repeats itself and we should be a little worried if Trump became president.
Before I begin, let me say I am not an expert on politics or history; I am rather asserting my own opinions on what I have studied throughout this presidential campaign.
There have been many presidents and people of power who have been compared to Hitler; Trump is not the first, but it is still frightening to think about. It is well known to my friends that I am not a Trump fan, and comparing him to Hitler is a very bold thing to do. No one should ever be compared to Hitler and the atrocities he committed because there will (hopefully) never be another Hitler. But here I go:
According to governor Chris Christie, one of Trump’s first moves as president would be “to purge the federal government of all government officials selected by President Obama and [he] could ask Congress to pass legislation to make it easier to fire public workers.” This is important because it was one of the first things Hitler did after becoming chancellor of Germany. This is something that someone seeking a dictatorship would love to implement to gain total power.
Another scary correlation between the two leaders – and the most important – is their undeniable hate for certain groups of people. Obviously Hitler despised the Jewish population and on the other spectrum, it is well known that Trump feels the same way about the Muslim population. At a December 2015 rally in Charleston, S.C., Trump stated, “[I am] calling for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
Of course, Trump supporters could argue his interpretation of this, but it still sounds eerily familiar to the beliefs of Hitler in Nazi Germany.
Let’s take all of the Hitler nonsense off of Trump for a minute though and point the finger elsewhere, to us. I do not think that the resemblance of Trump’s campaign to Hitler’s campaign is justified. It is not just Trump himself who is reminding us of the horrors of World War II, but it is his followers. Trump and Hitler both knew how to win over their supporters.
If we are to say anything good about these two people, it is the utter fact they are genius leaders. They know just what to say to gain popularity amongst their followers. They say things people would not expect to hear. They are fearless and unique compared to their opponents.
It is not necessarily Trump we should be blaming for all of the Hitler comparisons, Trump’s followers contribute as well. Both of these leader’s supporters feed off of their feverishly loud euphemisms and repetitive promises to their country about ‘making America/Germany great again.’
Although there is a distinct difference between the two such as the crimes they have committed, you must admit they both possess traits of uncanny homogeneity.
by Alec Williams
This election season is no doubt one of, if not the most, explosive and notable seasons we have seen in recent memory. It is likely that it will be taught in political science and social studies classes for decades to come.
That makes it difficult to define what the heck is happening when we are in the middle of it. It would be like being in the middle of a tornado and trying to measure its cause and size, it’s impossible. So, we look to history to try to understand it. It is confusing, is it not?
We have a candidate, Donald Trump, whose main campaign issue pertains to minorities. These issues come in the form of his plans on the deportation of illegal immigrants, a halt on allowing Muslims into the United States or even saying some unpleasant things about scores of women. So, an argument begins to form that says Donald Trump is like Adolf Hitler, the former dictator of Nazi Germany and his rise to power. I have to say that argument is lazy in some ways.
It is time to recognize that Trump is an enigma, whether you like him or not. He is completely reshaping the game. His rise to power and notoriety cannot be compared to Hitler because Trump is breaking new ground.
I believe that to accurately understand Hitler and his rise to power, you have to look back in history before he became an, to put it lightly, unfavorable figure. If you review American newspapers dating back to 1933, you can find stories praising Hitler and his actions as chancellor of Germany. He was seen as an up and comer, someone charming and forward thinking. Germany had been down and out after World War I, and he wanted to bring them back on top.
Now, a counter argument is probably brewing here “Well, that’s what Donald Trump is arguing for: ‘Make America Great Again!’” This could have merit if it were 2008, as we were running straight into the great recession, but that was eight years ago, and our economy has been growing stronger and stronger. Despite what Trump says, America is not down and out.
To raise a point that may not be received well, Hitler was originally regarded very highly and positively. He had incredible approval ratings, and like I said before, he was considered likable to those in Germany and abroad. Trump, on the other hand? His approval ratings even prior to stepping into the office are the lowest of any candidate in history.
Trump’s average “strongly unfavorable” rating according to polls by the reputable Roper Center, is at 53 percent, which is 20 percentage higher than any candidate’s unfavorable rating besides Hillary Clinton’s, which I won’t even address.
So, to put it into simple terms, let us not compare Trump to Hitler. It is arguments like that, broad ones, that cause this partisan polarization in our country to further develop. Yes, look to history to understand the world around you, but don’t let it define it. We should know by now that the world is way more complicated than that.
