How Is the Election Race This Tight? Surprising Insights Revealed!

On the morning of October 27, just before Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, Brendan Buck, a former aide to House Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, appeared on MSNBC. Buck criticized the comparison of Trump’s rally to the notorious pro-Nazi rally at the same venue in 1939 as “silly” and “completely obnoxious.”

Visibly frustrated, Buck emphasized, “It’s just a venue. Just because you step into Madison Square Garden doesn’t make you a Nazi.”

Although he critiques Trump, Buck argued that equating Trump with Hitler and his ideologies with Nazism turns off undecided voters who might consider voting for Vice President Kamala Harris.

“This kind of rhetoric just dismisses any rational discussion. It’s as if they’ll say whatever they want,” Buck elaborated. “It really disturbs those undecided about Trump, making them feel like the opposition is just out to slander him without basis.”

Having witnessed the rally, one might wonder if Buck still finds the Trump-Hitler comparison offensive.

Trump’s Rally vs. Hitler’s Ideology

Should Trump be re-elected, he’s already made clear his intentions. Take his statements at face value.

The Core of Trump’s Agenda: Misinformation

TRUMP: His political rise was fueled by the false “birther” conspiracy about President Barack Obama. The pace of falsehoods at his Madison Square Garden rally was so rapid that fact-checkers struggled to keep up. His supportive media outlets keep echoing these falsehoods, making them more entrenched.

As Jonathan Swift noted, “Falsehood flies, and the truth limps after it.”

HITLER: “[T]he lie is unleashed with a barrage of untruths and personal attacks on the most threatening adversaries until they can no longer endure the assault… This method exploits human vulnerabilities with nearly mathematical certainty of success…” (Shirer quoting Hitler, p. 22-23)

Immigration Lies at the Forefront of Trump’s Campaign

TRUMP: Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, JD Vance, depict immigrants as less than human. In their portrayal, immigrants are the root cause of numerous problems: inflation, high prices, housing shortages, crime, and more. They propagate this false narrative constantly.

Vance has confessed to fabricating a story about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, abducting pets for food, yet Trump continues to amplify this baseless claim, causing community unrest.

Trump also falsely claims to “liberate” Aurora, Colorado from non-existent immigrant gangs controlling the city.

He labels America as a “dumping ground” for the world’s worst, another misleading statement. He describes immigrants as “vermin” corrupting the nation’s purity, falsely alleging that millions are criminals sourced from “prisons,” “mental institutions,” and “insane asylums.”

HITLER: In Mein Kampf, he expressed disgust at the diversity of races… his animosity grew against the mix of different nationalities…” (W. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, p. 27). He also obsessively spoke about boosting the birth rate to preserve the perceived purity of the race. (Shirer, p. 86)

“The Internal Enemy” as Trump’s Target for Revenge

TRUMP: “We are contending with something much larger and more formidable than Joe or Kamala, which is the devious, powerful, radical left apparatus that controls today’s Democratic Party,” Trump declared to the audience at Madison Square Garden, pointing fingers specifically at Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) as major adversaries. “They have caused great harm to this country. They truly are the enemy within.”

Their only offense? Openly disagreeing with and critiquing Trump.

Trump has promised to act as a “dictator for a day,” to use the military against his opponents, and direct the Justice Department to target those who oppose him. He has openly vowed to purge his political rivals and imprison them.

Moreover, he plans to fill the federal government with those who will not challenge his views.

HITLER: Vowed to relentlessly pursue the so-called November criminals he blamed for Germany’s woes. (Schirer quoting Hitler, p. 70) He removed or executed dissenters and surrounded himself with yes-men.

TRUMP: In his first term, Trump filled the judiciary with his appointees, including a judge in Florida who dismissed a criminal case against him. She, among others, is now reportedly being considered for the role of Trump’s next attorney general despite her clear lack of qualifications.

HITLER: Manipulated the judiciary, creating special courts and effectively becoming the sole legal authority. (Shirer, 268-274)

Disingenuous Populism

TRUMP: In exchange for financial backing, Trump has promised to enact policies favoring corporations. He’s pledged to dismantle climate policies affecting major oil firms in return for $1 billion in campaign donations; recently, he shifted to supporting cryptocurrency (previously denounced as a “scam”) and has proposed legalizing marijuana. He plans to appoint Elon Musk to lead efforts in cutting government regulations, creating a massive conflict of interest given Musk’s extensive business dealings.

Media moguls like Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong have also seemingly supported Trump by not endorsing Kamala Harris through their respective platforms, showing a lack of journalistic courage when it was most needed.

HITLER: Gained the support of industrial leaders who believed they could control him, only to realize too late the error in their judgment. Their short-term gains resulted in long-term global repercussions. (Shirer, p. 143)

Fear, Rage, and Intimidation as Preferred Strategies

TRUMP: Encouraged the January 6, 2021, insurrection to cling to power after losing the election.

HITLER: “I recognized the value of sheer physical terror toward individuals and the masses… The defeated grow hopeless and cease to resist.” (Shirer, p. 23)

Trump’s Authoritarian Inspirations

TRUMP: Trump has expressed admiration for dictatorial leaders like Vladimir Putin, Victor Orban, Kim Jong Un, and Xi Jinping. His longest-serving chief of staff, retired four-star general John Kelly, has relayed Trump’s praise for certain aspects of Hitler’s regime and his desire for similar military obedience.

Trump, according to Kelly, fits the definition of a fascist—characterized by authoritarian views, suppression of opposition, and a belief in a natural social hierarchy.

Mark Milley, Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has described Trump as fundamentally fascist and a profound threat to the nation. This sentiment is echoed by over a hundred of Trump’s former senior advisors.

HITLER: Described by his professor as lacking in self-control, argumentative, and unable to adhere to discipline.” (Shirer, p. 13)

The Most Alarming Aspect

Regardless of the November election results, over 70 million Americans will vote for Trump. Most are well aware of his character and his threats to democracy and the rule of law.

And that’s why the race is expected to be close. As Brendan Buck suggested, perhaps the comparisons to Hitler distress these voters.

Or perhaps they simply refuse to accept the harsh reality.