People have been making comparisons between Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler for years. How much weight you give them usually depends on your political party affiliation. But never before have the similarities been so glaringly obvious than yesterday evening when Trump had peaceful protestors teargassed outside the White House so he could walk across the street to have his photo taken holding the Bible in front of a vacant church.
At first, people weren’t quite sure what to make of the publicity stunt. The vast majority were absolutely horrified that peaceful protestors exercising their First Amendment right were abused just so Donald Trump could stage a photo op. Some found the way he awkwardly held the Bible humorous, not only because it was upside down, but because he is so obviously not a student of Christ’s teachings.
Then another photo started circulating.
And suddenly it all made sense.
It’s unclear whether the photo of Hitler is a doctored image (SEE UPDATE BELOW), but in an article for Patheos, Christian writer Leah D Schade notes:
Hitler surrounded himself with the trappings of religion and a few empty phrases of Christianity while undermining and destroying everything that Jesus Christ stood for. Brute strength and domination were favored over the ‘weakness’ of Jesus. Yet millions of Germans fell for his racist bigotry masquerading as piety.
She adds:
Trump, too, has surrounded himself with radical right-wing ‘Christians’ who flock around him like pious pigeons. They bestow blasphemous benedictions on this Beelzebub as he cages children in concentration camps and stokes the fires of racial hatred. With full-blown toxic narcissism, he has called himself ‘the chosen one.’
Schade then calls on clergy of all religions to come together to “condemn what Trump has done and is doing.”
“We must vociferously and publicly oppose what is happening,” she urges faith leaders. “We must stand on the values we hold in common–values that are now threatened. Justice. Peace. Honesty. Restraint of evil. Protection of the vulnerable.”
Here’s how people on Twitter have been responding to the two photos…
trump is giving me…. hitler vibes
— S. Chamberlain (@s_dot____) June 1, 2020
Racist, small minded, cowardly #DictatorTrump trump said: "I am dispatching thousands & thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel & law enforcement officers" then walked to a church after gassing & shooting his citizens & held up a Bible to have his hitler photo op pic.twitter.com/NmLMCoZnOs
— Tanya ?? (@amore_sun) June 2, 2020
Has there ever been a lower moment in the history of the American presidency?
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) June 1, 2020
It’s my grandmother’s 87th birthday today. She lived through WWII in Europe. She said, she never thought she would see the day where she felt like she was looking at Hitler a second time in her lifetime.
Trump was on the television.
— ???? Mac n’ Chise BLM ?????????? (@sailorrooscout) June 2, 2020
Hitler held the Bible & followed it with gas chambers.
Trump is following it with tear gas.#DictatorTrump pic.twitter.com/8IKD7RbnRH— Bajwa (@ShakkrPara) June 2, 2020
All this fucking time I’ve been warning that Trump is America’s Hitler. People thought I was crazy, and here we are….
— Erica Lynn? (@SurfingBlue2020) June 1, 2020
In 1933, in response to the Reichstag fire, Hitler enacted a Nazi version of martial law.
Now, 87 years later, Trump, using the excuse of protests is threatening to declare a nat'l emergency in order to declare martial law, and unleash the US military against the American ppl.
— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) June 1, 2020
Trump giving Heil Hitler salute pic.twitter.com/fOaXSCxd37
— Julie Phillips (@jules031959) June 1, 2020
Leaders who have hidden in a bunker and gassed their own citizens include Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump
— Ben Wexler (@mrbenwexler) June 1, 2020
Hitler would be proud of Trump.
— Quarantäne-Quattromilf ????(?) (@ebonyplusirony) June 1, 2020
Are you paying attention yet?
UPDATE (June, 2, 2020 at 3:20 P.M. EST): TruthOrFiction.com did some investigating and confirmed this afternoon that the widely-shared image of Hitler holding a Bible was doctored. It reports:
Although the image of Trump is real and not in dispute, the image of Hitler holding up a Bible was doctored to fit the moment. In the original archival photograph, Hitler’s left hand is open and empty, and no Bible is displayed.
Related: Anderson Cooper rips into Trump for teargassing peaceful protestors after cowering in a bunker
Goforit
#Nicht Mein Fuhrer!
whatsaywhat
WHITE SUPREMACIST TYRANT
Mister P
It is very unfortunate that stupid people will see the picture and believe that Trump is religious. He is a fraud as a businessman, as politician, and as a Christian.
He likes to blame antifa but really they aren’t the problem the fascist is the problem.
Cam
Media keeps trying to paint the narrative that all of Trump’s racist dog whistles are accidental.
What they forget is, His father was arrested at a Klan rally.
Once you know that, his saying that the Charlottesville Nazis were “Good People”,
his using a saying WELL KNOWN among White Supremacists “When the looting starts, the Shooting Starts”,
And his exact replication of the Hitler pose all make sense.
Trump hopes the rest of America doesn’t know the history, but also knows that his Rac-ist followers will absolutely get the reference and know that he has their backs.
WSnyder
Be aware that that Hitler pic IS photo-shopped. Likely done by Russian Troll farmers to trap Trump haters into making a flawed comparison to discredit them.
That said, I certainly believe Trump secretly admires Hitler, or at least the power and sway he held in his rise to rule over Germany. The comparisons between the most vile human in history and POTUS can’t be ignored. Both craze unyielding power, both use fear and hate to gain that power, both embrace the fallacy of a Master Race [Hitler’s being Aryan, Trump’s being simply White] and certainly use these concepts to stoke the racism of their supporters to improve their own position and influence. Both display ingrained narcissism and the need for adoration from their followers. And both would burn their countries to the ground simply to feed that need.
Chrisk
Agreed. The Hitler pick looks very photo shopped.
Onecaddy13
@ WSnyder.
The photo is definitely photo shopped and was posted by Debra Messing of Will & Grace. Pull it up on Google or your local news outlets and see the total backlash she received in doing so.
Cam
@Onecaddy13
You’ve come on to multiple posts in different screenames and ALWAYS try to attack Debra Messing. Interesting, years ago all the Republicans used to attack “Barbara Streisand” as the root of all evil, and now it’s Debra Messing.
Interesting that you trolls, when you aren’t attacking black people, always have to have a Jewish woman to attack.
Bob LaBlah
Comparing Trump to Hitler amounts to an insult to Hitler. Were it not for a gay man, Ernst Rohm, a man whom Hitler remained loyal to until the generals of his army had had enough of him and stopped short of issuing Hitler the ultimatum of get rid of him or you yourself are finished) Hitler would have never made it to power. Trump has no gay people around him that matter (its agreed by all of us Charmin toilet paper has more importance than Richard Grenell or the Log Cabin Republicans). Lets leave Hitler out of this.
Kangol2
The Hitler pic is probably fake but Ivana Trump told the world in 1990 in Vanity Fair (Google the interview, it’s easy to find) that one of Don the Con’s favorite bedside books was My New Order, a collection of Adolf Hitler’s speeches. Bunker B*tch claimed he did not have the speeches (he’s a pathological liar, so take that as you will), but that he did own Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
Bleach Bum seems incapable of reading any books but I don’t doubt given his KKK father, his long history of racial discrimination and racist and anti-Semitic statements, and his pro-White supremacist and fascist attitudes, that he at least browsed or skimmed both books, or had one of his pals summarize one or both for him. He sure in the hell doesn’t have clue as to what is in the Bible, and clearly was too stupid to at least hold it up the right way. The Anti-Christ couldn’t do a worse job!
Jim
Actually Donald has more in common with Il Duce. He was in bed with the Catholic Church to get and retain power. Donald is in be with Evangelicals.
Chrisk
Good point. Mango Mussolini.
DamianHart
The Hitler one is a photoshop job. I saw the original earlier today…but can’t find it now that I’m home.
TomG
It was confirmed a long time ago that Trump kept a copy of “Mein Kampf” on his nightstand, so this photo-op makes perfect sense.
Den
Not Mein Kampf, but a collection of hitler’s speeches.
fur_hunter
Interesting………..VERY interesting. I believe that Karma has made a point here.
johnson02118
But did Trump know the Hilter picture was photoshopped when he decided to imitate it?
Cam
No, he just decided to gas peaceful protesters so he could go to a church he’s never been inside of so he could hold a Bible he’s never read upside down.
Chipper
Too bad that him holding the Bible, lightening did not strike him. The BIble says that even Satan believes, But that will not do the devil any good. But it could not be too late for trump, but its not likely he will turn from his wicked ways and follow the truth told in the Bible. He surrounds himself with liars so they will just lie and tell him what he wants to hear. First his pride won’t let him. It could do him some good, but he will never follow scriptures.
Den
It is to a great extent the notion that there is some special “truth” in Christian scriptures that has gotten us into the mess we are in.
If there is truth in any one holy tract, there is truth in all of them. But the uniquely Christian concepts of Hell and Satan, and redemption/salvation through the torture and murder of a man have done the world more harm than good.
Trump is evil without the aid of any external force, and if he were to find his way to ethics and empathy (unlikely) it would be his own doing, not some supernatural intervention.
Creamsicle
The Hitler picture is fake, but Trump really did teargas peaceful protesters, including a priest of that church, to get his picture.
All because his fragile ego was bruised after finding out people knew he hid in a bunker all night.
GayEGO
Not my “Fuhrer” either!
Chevelter
Hey, I despise the vile Trump as much as anyone but since you have determined that Hitler photo is fake you have no story. Leaving the story up just ruins your credibility on anything else.
rocknstan
This is another prime example of Trump’s sociopathology.
Trump’s “triumph of his will” is the death of Democracy.