Republicans are excusing Donald Trump and blaming Democrats after the former president channeled Hitler and accused immigrants of “poisoning the blood of our country.”
During a Saturday rally in Durham, New Hampshire, Trump’s tirade on immigration drew parallels to Adolf Hitler’s genocidal rhetoric, comparing migrants to a societal blood poison. Despite the disturbing nature of Trump’s statement, his GOP supporters quickly rallied to defend him.
On NBC News’ Meet The Press, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) dismissed concerns over language, stating, “I care less what language people use as long as we get it right.” He emphasized his support for legal immigration while expressing animosity towards terrorists and drug dealers. Fox News host Brian Kilmeade also defended Trump, claiming he was referring to the border and people coming from other countries.
Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, downplayed Trump having read Mein Kampf and his past references to Hitler. Trump’s admiration for Hitler reportedly extended to expressing a desire for generals like those in World War II and stating that “Hitler did a lot of good things.”
Even without the Hitlerian rhetoric, Trump’s authoritarian inclinations are evident. Plans declared that, if re-elected, he will grant himself broad powers on “day one” to deploy thousands of troops to the southern border and establish an extensive network of migrant detention camps. These plans potentially violate federal laws, but Trump, facing numerous criminal indictments, appears unconcerned about legal constraints.
During a late Monday interview on CNN, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) attempted to deflect criticism away from Trump by blaming Democrats for the former president’s abhorrent rhetoric.
When confronted by anchor Abby Phillip about Trump’s assertion that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” Malliotakis tried to reframe the narrative.
In response to Phillip’s direct question about whether Trump was correct in claiming immigrants were detrimental to the nation, Malliotakis attempted to shift the focus to Democratic policies and open border initiatives.
“I don’t think that’s what he was saying. When he said ‘they are poisoning,’ I think he was talking about the Democratic policies,” she said. “I think he was talking about the open border policy. You know, what’s actually poisoning America is the amount of fentanyl that’s coming over the open border.”
However, Phillip challenged this narrative, accusing Trump of employing rhetoric reminiscent of Hitler and Mussolini.
“Congresswoman, you’re saying that’s what you think he is saying. But he was pretty clear, he was saying that the immigrants that are coming in, he says that they are poisoning the blood of the nation,” she said.
“He never said immigrants are poisoning, though,” Malliotakis replied. “He didn’t say the words immigrants, I think he was talking about Democratic policies.”
Clearly frustrated, Phillip hit back: ”He was talking about people.”
Watch the segment below from CNN.
