Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is defending a gesture he makes at his rallies at the request of supporters in which he raises his right hand in a salute that has been compared by some to the Nazi salute.
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Meanwhile, co-host Michelle Collins, herself a descendant of Holocaust survivors, did not blanch at the comparison, saying Trump’s rhetoric “frightens” her. “I know he’s not targeting me right now, but we don’t know”, she said.
After playing a clip of the SNL ad, Behar said, “For years, I’ve been hearing don’t make comparisons to Hitler, there was only one Hitler, thank God, that everybody else is not Hitler”.
As the crowd excitedly raise their arms up, right hands extended straight forward in a historically frightening pose, Trump said, “I do solemnly swear that I, no matter how I feel, no matter what the conditions, if there are hurricanes or whatever, will vote on or before the 12th for Donald J. Trump for President”. “I think the American people are rational and reasonable at the end of the day. But I’ll certainly look into that”, he continued.
It’s not ridiculous to those who look at a Donald Trump rally and see shocking similarities to the Hitler regime in Germany prior to World War II. People in that situation may think internally, ‘Oh, I want to punch him in the mouth.’ But you don’t say it, you don’t say it, because it’s not civilized.
The former National Director of the ADL – a group set up to fight anti-Semitism and “defamation of the Jewish people” – said footage of the pledge is as “disgusting as anything I thought I would ever witness in the United States of America”. But, you know, we have to be strong and we have to vigilant.
The Republican front-runner at first dismissed the controversial comparison, calling it “ridiculous” and “a big stretch”, and insisting rally attendees were just “having fun”.
Yet, incredibly, the other candidates in the race – Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich – all said they’d support Trump if he wins the nomination.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Monday likened Trump’s campaign tone to those of Hitler and Benito Mussolini during their rises to power. Thank you. Now I know.
“I guess he disagrees with what I’m saying, but a lot of people agree with what I’m saying”, he said.
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Whether Trump’s casual bigotry is real or merely “bait to catch masses of followers” is yet to be seen. And by that I mean that we are being Germany in the 30s.
