“Anyone who thinks Trump is Hitler never studied European history.”
comment posted by a reader of an op ed piece, The New York Times, May 9, 2017
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An acquaintance of mine posted a comment on Facebook last evening — following up on comments arising from a blog post of mine yesterday — saying that Donald Trump is “worse” than Hitler was. He then followed up with the comment that there are “many parallels” between Trump and Hitler.
He means it; he was not trying to be cute.
I was astonished by such a comparison having been made. After a brief check of the Times, however, I learned that others have been saying the same thing.
Another Facebook commentator, responding to the first person’s comments, wrote:
“Agree.
“And more recent history, Milošević: not only narcissism, popularism, support of white nationalists, but disturbingly parallel in terms of the belief in ridiculous conspiracy theories.
“Have you read Mein Kampf? Distorted, disordered thinking, stream of consciousness writing. If Hitler had twitter, he would tweet like this man [Trump]. And if this man could write (a book for himself rather than paying someone to write for him), his writing would likely be similar to Hitler’s.
“Except, Hitler had ‘grander’ visions … this man is indeed an idiot who has no thought beyond ‘winning’.”
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After pausing to catch my breath, I would be inclined to say:
There may well be something to these comparisons in alerting us to current political developments in the USA and Western Europe, where the politics represented by figures such as Trump and Marine Le Pen in France, both of whom only recently did not seem to be taken that seriously, are in the ascendancy.
There may be instructive parallels with 1930’s-style Fascism.
Historical analogies can be useful.
But, in the case of such claims, it is necessary to maintain a truly historical perspective; to avoid “reverse presentism,” so to speak (interpreting current developments in terms of past ones); to maintain some degree of objectivity and balance.
I believe that the left has become unhinged over the Trump candidacy and election and has lost all sense of proportion and reason.
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Donald Trump has been called “a monster” by another one of my close acquaintances.
And, God knows what else (by others).
Trump does not have an appealing personality in many respects. (I can hear Trump haters saying to me, “you just discovered that?”)
I have not studied him closely, nor would I be qualified to develop a psychological profile.
But, he appears, more often than not, to be
an egomaniac
a male chauvinist
a groper, at least – I don’t think his several accusers, who all of them tell pretty much the same story, are making it up; I don’t believe his denials
an adulterer; probably — it would appear, undoubtedly — at various times in his life — a philanderer (in which categories I would suspect that he would be found to have a lot of company if a modern day Kinsey Report were compiled and published)
crude — at least sometimes; coarse and vulgar
given to puffery, braggadicio, and egregious self-promotion
given to distortion and playing loose with the facts when it suits his own purposes, in his public pronouncements
stiffs businessmen and women whom he or his firm has dealings with
his firm scammed students of the bogus Trump University
has to be the center of attention and has always acted as if he was God’s gift to mankind and womankind
espouses truly reprehensible policies
wants to dismantle Obama’s signature achievements
insults, trashes, or smears political rivals and those he disagrees with
can be demeaning to persons and groups who have suffered or appear disadvantaged
intellectually shallow
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Are there any pluses?
is not an intellectual or an Einstein, but seems to have a quick grasp of issues and exhibits problem solving skills
does seem to have an ability to get things done
says what’s really on his mind instead of hiding behind politico-speak
he does have business experience and savvy, and he has shown an ability to cut through red tape and deliver results
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Politicians then and now have exhibited a wide range of traits and abilities (name your own), including:
high minded
principled
moral
venal
corrupt
duplicitous
eloquent
demagogic
highly intelligent
borderline stupid
and so on
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TRUE MONSTERS
Stalin
Hitler
Pol Pot
Idi Amin
not Donald Trump
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It would take quite a lot of butchery from our new president – he would have a long way to go — to match the track records of the above named historical figures and be classed among the worst of recent history’s tyrants.
An old friend of mine, whom I like and admire, marched with her extended family in an anti-Trump protest in Washington yesterday (January 22, 2017) and proudly posted a photo on Facebook.
One of her friends posted as follows: “Give me a break, _______. Trump hasn’t done anything yet and you guys are protesting. This is ridiculous.”
Well put. (Although I do not feel that protestors do not have the right to engage in a “counter inaugural” and to demonstrate on this or other occasions.) Hitler has a track record whereby history has indicted him. Trump’s remains to be seen.
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I wonder. Is the left most incensed about Trump the “sexist pig”?
If so, I wonder why more fuss wasn’t ever made and as much outrage shown over:
JFK (had White House interns procured for him — one recently wrote a book about it that was respectfully reviewed; and, his girlfriend, the moll Judith Exner)
Ted Kennedy (Chappaquiddick)
Bill Clinton (Gennifer Flowers, Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, and countless others; probably Denise Rich, to whose husband Clinton issued a scandalous eleventh hour pardon; apparently forcing himself upon Juanita Broaddrick)
— Roger W. Smith
January 23, 2017; updated May 9, 2017
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Addendum: The following is my response to a reader of this post who criticized it.
My comments:
Your feelings are shared by many of your and my relatives and friends and are well expressed by you.
A couple of comments by way of explanation.
I do not necessarily think Trump is great businessman, and he certainly is not a genius. I have read articles over the years critical of his business dealings and articles which point to weak links and question the financial soundness of businesses and holdings in in his corporate empire. I was trying to point out that, when assessing Trump in the round, he does appear to have business acumen and some of the mental abilities that go along with that.
As far as the implication that I am wasting my time writing about Trump goes, I think that the anti-Trump hysteria (as I view it) is symptomatic of something deeper and is an illustration of a zaniness on the left these days when it comes to things that offend them, Trump being their current bête noire. Which Lionel Shriver talks about. See:
I don’t like it when I see intolerance from either side, and when the public is in a frenzy, I find often find myself questioning it.
I could probably explain myself better if I took the time. But, one should not be faulted for writing what one honesty thinks, or for having an opinion that does not accord with others’. Nor is it a waste of time to point out what seem to be excesses by liberals.
It’s kind of like I’m being told, there is no point in even discussing Trump or any issues that might arise because of the controversy over his candidacy and election and revelations regarding him; that I am not allowed to even think or write about him, unless my view conforms and supports others’. But, for example, as was the case with my previous posts about the Billy Bush tape and the “Hamilton” cast’s remarks made to Vice President elect Pence, there were issues that arose that, aside from the news flashes, are worthy of consideration and, in my case, of reflection upon broader issues and concerns. Why should I steer away from controversial topics for fear of being disagreed with?
Many people became disillusioned with the Great Soviet Experiment, but were afraid to say anything. George Orwell saw that what was supposed to be an egalitarian, liberated society had actually become totalitarian and repressive, and wrote about it. I feel, as Lionel Shriver recently wrote, that “the left in the West [has] come to embrace restriction, censorship and the imposition of an orthodoxy at least as tyrannical as the anti-Communist, pro-Christian conformism [we] grew up with.”
Criticisms of Trump notwithstanding, it is not a waste of time to weigh in on such issues. They often arise when the person attacked is among the least popular and most reviled.