Read the full story on Politico.
How would such attitudes, such views be created, be legitimized, be indirectly encouraged?
Timeline of notable remarks
- “When Mexico sends its people… They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
— June 16, 2015, campaign launch speech. Trump said Mexico was sending people “that have lots of problems … They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” This line became one of the defining moments of his 2015 campaign and was widely reported and archived. Critics said it painted an entire nationality as criminals and sexual predators. The Washington Post - Calling some undocumented immigrants “animals.”
— May 2018, at a meeting with California officials and later at other events, Trump referred to certain illegal immigrants (often describing gang members) as “animals.” He later said he meant violent criminals, but the phrasing was condemned for dehumanizing people and for contributing to harsher enforcement rhetoric. Reuters+1 - “Shithole countries” (referring to Haiti, some African nations, etc.).
— January 2018, during an Oval Office meeting on immigration, multiple attendees reported Trump used vulgar language asking why the U.S. would accept immigrants from “shithole countries” instead of places like Norway. The comment prompted strong international and domestic backlash as racist toward African and Caribbean nations. Trump disputed the exact wording but did not deny criticizing those countries. AP News+1 - Saying immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.”
— Repeatedly in 2023–2024 and defended in rallies in late 2023, Trump used language claiming illegal immigration was “poisoning the blood” of the United States. Critics and many scholars noted this mirrors historic racist and ethnic-purity rhetoric (including language used by white supremacists and in fascist ideology). Supporters said he meant crime and public-health concerns; opponents said the metaphor explicitly dehumanizes and racializes immigrants. AP News+1 - Telling congresswomen of color to “go back” (tweets and comments).
— 2019 and subsequent times, Trump tweeted at and about several Democratic congresswomen of color, saying they should “go back” to the “places from which they came,” even though most are U.S. citizens and some were born in the U.S. The phrase invoked a long history of xenophobic and racist language suggesting people of color don’t belong in America. Women Run Rutgers
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Oh, OK, So some tactics for ignoring the Constitution and the Supreme Court are OK, but you get to draw the line? Others draw it in different places.
But calling someone Hitler and all of those who voted for Trump or support some of his policies nazi’s leads to violence. I didn’t vote for Trump, and I never will. He is an idiot and an ass.
But I say stop! Stop I say! Instead, if you like, challenge everything he does in Court. Certainly that is what folks did in the Trump 1 administration and so far in Trump 2 as well. Even the justices who know what a woman is will be able to confirm what actions are not constitutional.
However, keep in mind that although he sounds like an idiot and an ass when he opens his mouth, the majority of Americans support a number of his policies and actions. That is, quoting from an article by Barton Swain at the WSJ – Trump got the majority of votes … he was democratically elected – including winning the republican election (via the Electoral College).
“Democracy, Thy Name Is Trump – This president is the embodiment of rule by the people—in ways good and ill. …
(Democrats) might have spared themselves a decade of angst, or at least found a better way to oppose him, if they had recalled that America’s founders disliked democracy. The word, to most of them, suggested mob rule and demagoguery. A republic too given to democracy, they thought, would allow big personalities to leverage the public’s irascibility against established order. James Madison memorably concluded, in Federalist No. 10, that democracies “have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention.” …
When their political descendants, today’s liberals and progressives, gnash their teeth over Mr. Trump, they unknowingly concede that the founders had a point. …
Most Americans—the number hovers around 55%—disapprove of Mr. Trump and don’t like the way he goes about things. It doesn’t follow that majorities think he’s wrong about most things. The opposite is nearer the truth: On nearly all his big-ticket items, the president’s attitude fully accords with that of the public. …
That ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pushes the bounds of legality in its no-knock roundups is pretty obvious. But Democrats align themselves with a tiny minority when their denunciations of Mr. Trump make them sound as if they think illegal aliens have the right to live and work in the U.S. as long as they don’t kill people. …
I sometimes wonder if the president’s turbulence in pursuit of his aims is meant to tempt his adversaries into denouncing both the turbulence and the aims and thus sound ridiculous. His often badly expressed belief that American cities tolerate too much crime has, on an educated guess, 80% of the public behind it. But many of his enemies seem to think they must choose between quelling violence with troops and denying the existence of urban crime. …
If Democrats want to stop making themselves abhorrent to the public, they will have to think the unthinkable—that Mr. Trump is a democratic expression of the American character. Not the only or the finest expression, but an authentic one. …
Mr. Trump doesn’t threaten democracy. For good and ill, he is a consequence of it.”
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I read and watch the left and the right everyday. WSJ, NYT, CNBC, all the Sunday AM shows, and Fox News @ 6PM.
You should watch Leland Vitter on NewsNation, right after Cuomo, weekdays at 9PM. He’s pretty balanced. He has name callers on from the left and the right. And, does his best to force them to answer his direct questions.
You should watch Smerconish Saturday on CNN at 9AM Eastern – he tries to stay in the middle, even though the majority of his audience is left. Most of his guests are not name caller incendiary idiots but knowledgeable people focused on the issues of the day that affect everyday Americans. If you have Sirius radio, he is on 124 Potus from 9AM to Noon Eastern. Regulars include Elie Honig, Scott Galloway, Tom Friedman, etc.
On the other hand, if you are reading Project Syndicate, today’s landing page looks like a leftie loonie bin in terms of the first two articles about Trump.
Sherwin writes: “Given Donald Trump and his advisers’ increasingly extreme rhetoric and contempt for the U.S. Constitution, the president’s rising disapproval rating is cold comfort. The fact that he is doubling down on unpopular policies only adds to the evidence that he does not intend to allow a free and fair congressional election in 2026.
I can guarantee you that Donald Trump has no control over the midterms next year – no more, no less than Biden in 2022, Trump in 2018, Obama in 2014, Obama in 2010. If the D’s wake up and don’t continue to do stupid, they will easily gain control of the House in 2026, and we can have two or three more impeachments.
What does “stupid” look like? Well Tom mentions one example in his post above, where D’s don’t run away and force the dumb sh*t Virginia Attorney General candidate to give up his run for office. When you say you never heard of him, that’s concerning, in terms of what you read and experience.
This is the guy who said, about his political opponent, Mr. Gilbert, who I believe was speaker of the VA House of Representatives at the time:
“If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves (to) send them out awash in something.”
“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert (Republican), Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
“Only when people feel paid personally do they move on policy.”
“I mean do I think Todd and Jennifer (Gilbert) are evil? And that they’re breeding little fascists? Yes”
(I) ‘want to see their murdered little children laying lifeless in their mother’s arms’
Or, also a headline article on Project Syndicate:
Joe Jackson writes: “US President Donald Trump appears committed to extending America’s imperialist legacy and channeling a martial ethos that can be traced back to the Spanish-American War of 1898, when the US “liberated” Cuba and the Philippines from Spanish colonial rule. If past is prologue, there can be little doubt that it will end badly.”
Apparently Mr. Jackson doesn’t read his history book. Yes, America did liberate Cuba and Philipines from Spanish colonial rule. And, they are still liberated today – one run by communists, the other a democracy.
Of all the super powers in the world, America is the least imperialist – after victories, or stalemates, did we keep Germany or Japan after WWII, South Korea, and after various “military actions”, how about Haiti, Guatamala, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Grenada, etc.?
Dick, you need to read other stuff that is more centrist and maybe even a little lean right. You could do worse than by watching Fox News at 6PM with Brett Baier and all four Sunday morning talk shows.
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I have been conservative all my life, never voted democratic since I was 21. However, what used to be responsible conservatives have morphed into extreme ideologues while yielded to an egomaniac concerned not with thought out policy and programs, but only self, esteem and power.
The damage being done will not be fully realized for several years and fixing it may take a generation. All this and not one poll shows even a 50% approval rating for him. My greatest fear is for my children and grandchildren.
Yesterday I sent in my mail ballot for NJ elections. I voted across the board for democrats which I never did before only because I didn’t want the risk of a Trump/MAGA supporter running NJ.
Dick
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Hope it all works out for the best for NJ residents.
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Funny, I don’t recall you mentioning anything about the Democratic VA Attorney General candidate who texted that a Republican lawmaker “gets two bullets to the head,” followed by a wish that his children “die in their mother’s arms.” It been a pretty big story.
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Sorry, never heard that one. Certainly no excuse for that behavior.
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Google Jay Jones. This has been a major national story for a couple of weeks now.
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Dick, look at the first comment in response to your post. I didn’t respond to your initial post because I agree, Trump is an idiot and an ass. However, your past comparisons to Hitler have prompted some who read your posts to continue with the Hitler wannabe crap.
So, if you continue to bring up past stupid comments from our Idiot in Chief, you will likely prompt readers of your posts to continue with the Hitler wannabe crap, and, if I notice, and waste more of my time, it will prompt another response similar to that above.
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Adolf Hittler was aided in his democratic rise to power by German Industrialists; they felt they could control him, a “useful idiot”, so to speak. They (Industrialists) were fearful of German Communists, so the guy with the funny mustache was their man, until he was no longer useful and could be easily discarded- or so they thought.
Most Germans didn’t believe he would carry out his threats against “Non Aryans” you know- people that don’t look like us.
Boy were they wrong…
The cost of Far-Right Authoritarianism was millions of dead Germans, Italians and Japanese, and their millions of victims. Not to be forgotten were the millions of dead Russians, Chinese and Cambodians Far-Left Authoritarians.
If history is any guide. both far left and the right ideologies never work out well for the misguided souls that enable them.
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We can all agree, Trump is an idiot and an ass. He is also President, your President and mine.
Once more with the Hitler crap. How does suggesting Trump is a Hitler wannabe resolve anything?
It has been less than a week since they stopped shooting each other in Israel/Gaza. Who do we blame for getting people to stop shooting, return hostages to Israel and political/terrorist prisoners to Gaza? Blame Trump, or is that too much to bear.
I see where former President Biden tried to take credit for starting the process of cease fire and hostage/political/terrorist prisoner return. But, if you remember the record, he and his administration were the ones who emboldened Iran to supply Hamas and attack Israel. He did that by cozying up to Iran while, at the same time, condemning Saudi Arabia and asserting that he would take action to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah state”.
Mild applause is all that is warranted. Certainly, given the people returned to Gaza, peace will be temporary, not at all lasting, but, a few minutes, hours, weeks, months, maybe even a year or two seems like a good thing, something to celebrate, no.
Stop. Stop with the Hitler comparison crap!
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I don’t see anyone saying that here. The article reflect what Young Republicans were texting to each other. My part was quoting him.
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Yes, Trump’s words and characterizations are beyond harsh. He is an idiot and an ass.
Like those of you who think him a wannabe Hitler or Stalin, he uses abusive language to critize those he disagrees with.
And, make no mistake, comparing Trump to Hitler or Stalin IS abusive. He’s a long way from actions consistent with how you characterize him.
For comparison, consider the first thing Hamas did when Israel backed off its troops per the “peace” deal? Hamas went into the streets of Gaza and executed over 30 Palestinians they suspected of helping or not resisting Israel’s occupation in retaliation of October 7th.
And, Hamas has already reniged on the “peace” deal. First, they haven’t returned all the dead bodies. Only ghouls would hold onto dead bodies. Second, Hamas has yet to disarm.
So, while Hamas murders its own subjects, at least they and Israel have stopped shooting at each other … for a little while.
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The comparison of Trump to Hitler is not in the context of concentration camps, but in the methods used to gain, consolidate and hold power.
It’s the scapegoating, the lying, the bullying, the revenge against opponents, attacking elite institutions and generally individuals out of the mainstream of society, it’s the exercise of excessive and perhaps illegal authority and ignoring well established international norms. It’s the promoting of nationalism and America first, the xenophobia.
In all those regards his strategy follows most dictators, including Hitler.
While an extreme analogy, putting troops on city street under the guise of controlling crime could be construed as a demonstration of his power, just like blowing speed boats out of the water.
We all know troops are not solving the problem of crime let alone addressing the root causes which are likely addressed using strategies not to be found in the Project 2025 playbook.
The more unchecked he gets, the more dangerous he becomes and in my opinion puts us all at risk, serious risk.
I don’t know if you read Project-Syndicate, but you should. It provides a perspective from writers around the world.
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“The comparison of Trump to Hitler is not in the context of concentration camps, but in the methods used to gain, consolidate and hold power.”
Well said. I fear all authoritarians, farl left or far right.
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So, I don’t remember any Hitler comparisons when President Obama confirmed he would use his “phone and a pen” – instead of pursuing change via legislation. Where are they? I don’t remember any Hitler comparisons when President Obama decided to create DACA after, consistently confirming, himself, that he did not have that power, that legislation was necessary. Where are they? I don’t remember any Hitler comparisons when President Biden decided to ignore the decision of the US Supreme Court and continue to waive student debt repayment. Where are they?
Go back into the prior posts on quinnscommentary and show me the Hitler comparisons of past presidents who ignored Congress or the Courts. Perhaps I missed them. If so, my apologies.
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“So, I don’t remember any Hitler comparisons when President Obama confirmed he would use his “phone and a pen”
Do you remember the Obama administration unleashing ICE agents, wearing masks, to physically manhandle US citizens and Permanent Residents and also zip tying children? Do you remember President Obama ordering the US Military into US cities, against the will of their respective local governments? I don’t.
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Just look at the tactics and strategy for power by any dictator, including Hitler and then compare item by item with Trump.
That includes scapegoating, divisive propaganda, pathological lying, putting military on our streets, consolidating power, xenophobia, trying to control the press and legal system.
Neither Obama nor any other president has done what is being done now. Not even FDR and his attempt at packing the SCOTUS
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