As an academic historian of modern Germany who wrote a book on the causes of the Holocaust, I say with confidence: Trump is no Nazi and neither are the 77 million Americans who voted for him.
Few if any of those who sling this mud even speak German, much less know anything about Nazism.
This kind of smear is an insult to half the country and betrays a failure to understand the meaning of democracy. Yuck.
Yes! Just STOP IT. Stop telling the majority of voters who chose Trump that they are "garbage" or "under educated" or "fascist loving skin heads." Stop wrinkling your nose at the slogan MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN because it makes no sense that anyone would NOT want their country to improve itself. Stop over reacting to every little thing because soon every one of your reactions will be seen as meaningless. (See Aesop's Fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.)
Thank you, Trish (and Gerald) for your razor sharp observations on this topic and, especially, for the photo array showing prominent democrats displaying the same gesture as Musk. When Kamala, Elizabeth Warren, Obama and others made their wave I don't remember anyone likening it to a Nazi salute. When the Democrats held a big convention rally at Madison Square Garden I don't remember anyone likening the gathering to the Nazi rally there back in the 30's. Yet democrats jumped all over the Trump Madison Square rally with frenzied cries that it was "Nazi-like."
Again, keep up the pearl clutching/victim claiming/off-the-wall accusations of dictatorship/nazism and oligarchy and soon you will discover absolutely no one is listening anymore.
In its way, it's great, though: even the half of our nation which is semiliterate at best and essentially ahistorical understands that Hitler is an all purpose Devil figure. I think that terrible overexposure in his postmortem career has severely dulled his impact. Now, postmortem Hitler's name has the startling magnetism which the careers of unicycle riding jugglers had in 1980s show business. The lustre is gone. He's the ultimate has been.
My photo may not make it clear that I am male. During the campaign, a woman who was a Facebook friend asked me if I wasn't ashamed of myself for being - no kidding - "a misogynistic racist."
This is ridiculous, over-the-top rhetoric. They are so used to being victims of ad hominem attacks from the right that fighting fire with fire is apparently the only response.
Hitler was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. I doubt either Trump or Musk has even committed one murder.
Did all the lefties NOT notice the music playing in the Cap#1 Arena as Musk came on stage at the beginning of his speech? AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock, We Salute You” one of the best selling rock songs in history. And then he saluted. WTF, are they this sensitive to then make stupid claims? Yes!
Continuation of the Democrat pettiness to exploit, label and politicize any and all social situations in an attempt to make non-Democrats and Republicans look like evil ghouls that fail the Democrat perceived moral test du jour. So those “shamed” get the tongue lashing, and the social media cancel culture. Look on YT of Musk’s alleged offense. It’s clearly not what the Democrats say it is. It has been reported that Musk has mild Asperger’s which manifests itself in quirky and sometimes weird ways. Clearly he was very enthusiastic and was speaking and also putting hand to heart. He rotated 180 degrees and repeated the gesture. Clearly that’s no Nazi salute. The Democrats will continue to show with their utter stupidity labeling every action of their political enemies. Keep going and lose more people.
I am not far-left. But I think that what Elon Musk did resembles strikingly a ‘sieg heil’ salute. I don’t think it is hysterical to say it. The arm across the chest, the aggressive thrust out, palm down. It is not reasonable to compare it to photos of people waving or simply holding an arm in the air. The gesture is an action, not a pose.
A generous interpretation is that he did it by accident; all of the movements required to perform a Nazi salute just happened randomly, a rather unfortunate thing indeed.
Agreed, you can’t call everyone you dislike a Nazi, not everyone who voted for Trump is a fascist. I am not in favour of this so-called ‘reductio ad Hitlerum’, it is demeaning to the millions who were slaughtered by this man.
However, Hitler did not get elected by campaigning as the genocidal maniac candidate, he won the adoration of his people through nationalism, populism and the politics of grievance.
Musk welcomed neo-Nazis and antisemites back to Twitter after buying the platform. I am not calling everyone a Nazi, I am saying there is no reason to give Musk the benefit of the doubt on this.
This has gotten ridiculous. Where are the grown ups? Those on the liberal left like me have a lot to worry about with the new administration climate change, conservation, undocumented people's situations, gun control, Ukraine, NATO, Middle East, etc. Economic problems in big cities and in small towns. The disastrous runaway of health care costs. Long list!
The outrage helps no one except those into outrage.
Perhaps news outlets should stop pandering to numbers of clicks. Maybe they and Trump can have some show where they wind each other up and we can ignore it? Please?
It's almost as if continuing to liken every opposing political candidate and ally to Hitler/Nazis will make people stop listening to you and vote for your opponents.
I am a Jewish person who joined Twitter in 2009. I have encountered 100 times more antisemitism on the platform since Musk bought it in 2022 than I did in the 13 years on Twitter prior to that.
Musk bought a platform and welcomed neo-Nazis back. He supports far-right movements around the world. It's weird that all of a sudden we are supposed to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Thank you for the wonderful essay. The picture embedded of Democratic leaders saluting similarly and causing no controversy says it all, doesn't it? The hypocrisy of the Left and especially their Mainstream Media allies is abhorrent.
Frankly, all they do with their blatant distortions and exaggerations is swing more people against them.
As an academic historian of modern Germany who wrote a book on the causes of the Holocaust, I say with confidence: Trump is no Nazi and neither are the 77 million Americans who voted for him.
Few if any of those who sling this mud even speak German, much less know anything about Nazism.
This kind of smear is an insult to half the country and betrays a failure to understand the meaning of democracy. Yuck.
Yes! Just STOP IT. Stop telling the majority of voters who chose Trump that they are "garbage" or "under educated" or "fascist loving skin heads." Stop wrinkling your nose at the slogan MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN because it makes no sense that anyone would NOT want their country to improve itself. Stop over reacting to every little thing because soon every one of your reactions will be seen as meaningless. (See Aesop's Fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.)
Thank you, Trish (and Gerald) for your razor sharp observations on this topic and, especially, for the photo array showing prominent democrats displaying the same gesture as Musk. When Kamala, Elizabeth Warren, Obama and others made their wave I don't remember anyone likening it to a Nazi salute. When the Democrats held a big convention rally at Madison Square Garden I don't remember anyone likening the gathering to the Nazi rally there back in the 30's. Yet democrats jumped all over the Trump Madison Square rally with frenzied cries that it was "Nazi-like."
Again, keep up the pearl clutching/victim claiming/off-the-wall accusations of dictatorship/nazism and oligarchy and soon you will discover absolutely no one is listening anymore.
In its way, it's great, though: even the half of our nation which is semiliterate at best and essentially ahistorical understands that Hitler is an all purpose Devil figure. I think that terrible overexposure in his postmortem career has severely dulled his impact. Now, postmortem Hitler's name has the startling magnetism which the careers of unicycle riding jugglers had in 1980s show business. The lustre is gone. He's the ultimate has been.
My photo may not make it clear that I am male. During the campaign, a woman who was a Facebook friend asked me if I wasn't ashamed of myself for being - no kidding - "a misogynistic racist."
This is ridiculous, over-the-top rhetoric. They are so used to being victims of ad hominem attacks from the right that fighting fire with fire is apparently the only response.
Hitler was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. I doubt either Trump or Musk has even committed one murder.
Thanks for this prompt and excellent response to the ridiculousness
Thanks for your perspective - demonizing the other seems to be a way of life for many.
Did all the lefties NOT notice the music playing in the Cap#1 Arena as Musk came on stage at the beginning of his speech? AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock, We Salute You” one of the best selling rock songs in history. And then he saluted. WTF, are they this sensitive to then make stupid claims? Yes!
Continuation of the Democrat pettiness to exploit, label and politicize any and all social situations in an attempt to make non-Democrats and Republicans look like evil ghouls that fail the Democrat perceived moral test du jour. So those “shamed” get the tongue lashing, and the social media cancel culture. Look on YT of Musk’s alleged offense. It’s clearly not what the Democrats say it is. It has been reported that Musk has mild Asperger’s which manifests itself in quirky and sometimes weird ways. Clearly he was very enthusiastic and was speaking and also putting hand to heart. He rotated 180 degrees and repeated the gesture. Clearly that’s no Nazi salute. The Democrats will continue to show with their utter stupidity labeling every action of their political enemies. Keep going and lose more people.
Thank you. The Left will use any number of stupid tricks.
The left is increasingly irrelevant!🙋♂️
This is such a waste of everyone’s time, he gave a gesture from his heart. End of story.
*"The purpose of the slurs IS..."
Corrected. Thanks. Every writer benefits from a copy editor )
I am not far-left. But I think that what Elon Musk did resembles strikingly a ‘sieg heil’ salute. I don’t think it is hysterical to say it. The arm across the chest, the aggressive thrust out, palm down. It is not reasonable to compare it to photos of people waving or simply holding an arm in the air. The gesture is an action, not a pose.
A generous interpretation is that he did it by accident; all of the movements required to perform a Nazi salute just happened randomly, a rather unfortunate thing indeed.
Agreed, you can’t call everyone you dislike a Nazi, not everyone who voted for Trump is a fascist. I am not in favour of this so-called ‘reductio ad Hitlerum’, it is demeaning to the millions who were slaughtered by this man.
However, Hitler did not get elected by campaigning as the genocidal maniac candidate, he won the adoration of his people through nationalism, populism and the politics of grievance.
To forget that would be unwise.
Musk welcomed neo-Nazis and antisemites back to Twitter after buying the platform. I am not calling everyone a Nazi, I am saying there is no reason to give Musk the benefit of the doubt on this.
There's this little thing in our country called the First Amendment. Get over yourself.
This has gotten ridiculous. Where are the grown ups? Those on the liberal left like me have a lot to worry about with the new administration climate change, conservation, undocumented people's situations, gun control, Ukraine, NATO, Middle East, etc. Economic problems in big cities and in small towns. The disastrous runaway of health care costs. Long list!
The outrage helps no one except those into outrage.
Perhaps news outlets should stop pandering to numbers of clicks. Maybe they and Trump can have some show where they wind each other up and we can ignore it? Please?
Thankyou for the article!
It's almost as if continuing to liken every opposing political candidate and ally to Hitler/Nazis will make people stop listening to you and vote for your opponents.
I am a Jewish person who joined Twitter in 2009. I have encountered 100 times more antisemitism on the platform since Musk bought it in 2022 than I did in the 13 years on Twitter prior to that.
Musk bought a platform and welcomed neo-Nazis back. He supports far-right movements around the world. It's weird that all of a sudden we are supposed to give him the benefit of the doubt.
So what. I'm a Jewish person who's been called anti-semitic for criticizing the sociopath in charge of Israel. Sticks and stones.
Stop whining about tweets and maybe put some effort into stopping AIPAC's theft of billions of American dollars to Israel.
The as a Jew Jew speaks up to say the same crap that the Muslims and the ilhan Omar's say as a Jew I say fuck you Jew
Thank you for the wonderful essay. The picture embedded of Democratic leaders saluting similarly and causing no controversy says it all, doesn't it? The hypocrisy of the Left and especially their Mainstream Media allies is abhorrent.
Frankly, all they do with their blatant distortions and exaggerations is swing more people against them.
papa j