ATLANTA –
Donald Trump told Republican donors at his Florida resort this weekend that President Joe Biden is running a “Gestapo administration,” the latest example of the former president employing the language of Nazi Germany in his campaign rhetoric.
Saturday’s comments at Mar-a-Lago were described by people who attended the event and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private session.
The “Gestapo” comment, one person said, came as Trump renewed his claim that the Biden White House is behind the presumptive Republican nominee’s multiple criminal prosecutions, including his ongoing fraud and hush money trial in New York. York and additional cases arising from their efforts. to overturn the 2020 elections.
The Gestapo was the secret police force of the Third Reich that repressed political opposition generally and specifically focused on arresting Jews during the Holocaust. Trump’s baseless comparison to Nazi-era tactics comes as he denies and tries to deflect charges against him, particularly his effort to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory, before a mob of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Republican governor. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, appearing Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” essentially confirmed Trump’s statement but tried to downplay its importance.
“This was a brief comment that delved into something that wasn’t really central to what he was talking about,” said Burgum, who is among the contenders to be Trump’s running mate.
Burgum claimed that Trump drew the parallel as part of his accusation that the Biden White House is behind his legal problems. “Most Americans,” Burgum said, “feel that the trial he is in now is politically motivated.”
The New York Times first reported on Trump’s comments after obtaining an audio recording of the Mar-a-Lago event.
“These people are running a Gestapo administration,” Trump told Republican donors, according to the newspaper. “It’s the only way to win.”
Biden’s re-election campaign criticized the reference.
“Trump is once again making despicable and insulting comments about the Holocaust, while at the same time attacking law enforcement, celebrating political violence and threatening our democracy,” Trump campaign spokesman James Singer said in a statement. .
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press. The AP has not obtained audio of Trump’s speech at the fundraiser.
Earlier in the 2024 campaign, Trump called his political opponents “vermin” and said migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are “poisoning the blood of our country,” rhetoric that echoes statements by Adolf Hitler during his authoritarian rule in Germany.
“I don’t know anything about Hitler,” Trump insisted in a December interview on conservative radio. “I have no idea what Hitler said other than what I have seen on the news. And that’s something very, completely different from what I’m saying.”
A second person who was at Mar-a-Lago this weekend described to the AP an appearance at a meandering luncheon in which Trump mixed his complaints with upbeat GOP cheers.
Speaking for at least 90 minutes, Trump promised that “the gloves are coming off” against Biden, the No. 2 Republican recalled. At another point, Trump called several Republican congressional figures to the stage and referred to the many Republicans seeking to be his vice presidential pick.
“They’re lining up and begging,” Trump said, according to an aide.
Several alleged contenders circulated through the crowd and were assigned strategic speaking roles or led panel discussions. Among the most prominent, the Republican said, are Republican Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and JD Vance of Ohio.
Trump, the person said, singled out Rubio for special praise and referred to a “Florida problem,” referring to the constitutional requirement that the president and vice president not claim the same state as their residence.
Rubio and Scott demurred when asked about their prospects on Sunday’s talk shows.
On “Fox News Sunday,” Rubio dodged a question about whether he would be willing to move to another state to join the Republican ticket.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, was also present, bolstering Trump’s support. Johnson coordinated one of the legal challenges against the 2020 election that Trump lost, but the president now faces the threat of his own overthrow by far-right Republicans led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
During his time on stage, Johnson said the United States needs a “strong man” in the White House, an aide told the AP.
Johnson, who often speaks of the need to return to the national security principle of “peace through strength,” explained the need to have a “strong and determined” president at a time of conflict around the world, one said. person familiar with the speaker’s speech. comments. This person was not authorized to publicly discuss Johnson’s comments and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Republican National Committee said after the event that the combined fundraising efforts of the RNC and the April campaign exceeded $76 million, by far the best monthly effort of this campaign cycle and a step toward closing the lead. Biden’s finances. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley praised an increase in small donors, but the Mar-a-Lago event clearly targeted the party’s deepest pockets. At one point, an aide said, Trump offered an open microphone to anyone who immediately pledged a million-dollar contribution to the party. Finally two people agreed, the source said.
Additionally, the Times reported that Trump told his audience that Democrats effectively buy votes through economic safety net programs, while repeating his false claims that US elections are plagued by systemic fraud.
“When you’re a Democrat, you essentially start at 40% because you have the civil service, you have the unions and you have welfare,” Trump said, according to the Times. “And don’t underestimate well-being. They get welfare to vote, and then on top of that, they cheat — they cheat.”
Biden’s victory was confirmed by multiple recounts in many battleground states, and Trump’s claims of fraud were rejected by multiple state and federal courts, including judges he nominated for office. Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and his role in the Jan. 6 riot by his supporters are the subject of two additional allegations.
Trump is not the first Republican presidential candidate to privately connect social programs to Democrats’ electoral fortunes. In 2012, then-Republican candidate Mitt Romney was caught on tape at a fundraising event declaring that Democrat Barack Obama had a built-in advantage because people he claimed didn’t have to pay federal income taxes.
“There are 47 percent of people who will vote for the president (Obama) no matter what” because they “depend on the government” and “believe they are victims,” Romney said, adding that “it’s not my job to worry about those people.” “I will never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and take care of their lives.”
The Obama campaign, with Biden as vice president, used those comments to bolster Democrats’ argument that Romney, a wealthy businessman, was out of touch with most Americans. Obama was re-elected.