Second Time is the Charm
I do not believe that Trump is a Nazi. I think he is a sociopath, a malignant narcissist, a white supremacist, an anti-Semite, a pathological liar, a fascist and more. But I don't believe he is a Nazi.
But he sure surrounds himself with Nazis a whole lot more than anyone who doesn't want to be called a Nazi should. Among the few things that come to mind --
He said that there were many people on both sides who were very fine people, when one of those sides were members of the the American Nazi Party marching with Tiki torches while shouting out "Jews will not replace us." He endorses the North Carolina candidate for governor Mark Robinson who had described himself privately as a "Black Nazi." He had virulent anti-Semite and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes to dinner at Mar-a-Lago. He has channeled Hitler's language about immigrants "poisoning the blood" of the country and comparing them to "vermin." He reportedly (by his first wife) kept a copy of Mein Kampf by his bed. He complained to Chief of Staff John Kelly that is generals weren't loyal to him like Hitler's were -- despite refusing to believe that Hitler's generals actually tried to kill the Fuhrer. He nominated podcaster Paul Ingrassia, who admitted in a text that "I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it" to be head of the White House Special Counsel's office -- before there was so much outraged pressure that Ingrassia withdrew his nomination. And more.
And I mean it when I say that I don't believe that Trump is a Nazi.
But he keeps shooting himself in the foot and making it incredibly hard for those who defend him as not being a Nazi.
Like when yesterday the story leaked that Trump has found another job in his administration for...Paul Ingrassia!! Yes, the same guy who acknowledged that he has "a Nazi streak" in him.
And no, I'm not making this up.
Gee, it's hard to understand why Trump has a 37% approval after only serving 10 months in office.
By the way, this is what's known as an "unforced error." No one made Trump nominate the guy with a self-admitted "Nazi streak" in him. The guy who withdrew because there was so much outrage against him. No, Trump did that knowingly and all on his own.
Since withdrawing his nomination to head the Office of White House Special Counsel, the 30-year-old Ingrassia didn't leave Trump's notice. In fact, he's remained on staff as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. Which explains a lot.
Most bosses would probably say, "Hey, Paul, tough break, you do some really fine work, but...well, y'know, I just can't keep a self-admitted Nazi on my staff. It just is a bad look. But if you need a recommendation, contact my secretary." The thing is, with Trump it's not a bad look. It's on brand.
Ingrassia sent an email yesterday to those in his office that he will be leaving to become deputy general counsel at the General Services Administration.
“It’s been the greatest honor to serve Secretary [Kristi] Noem and President Trump, alongside all of you,” he wrote.
And no, this isn't something that slipped through the cracks or that Trump can latter claim with his default answer "I don't know anything about this.." In the text, Ingrassia said Trump called him into his office and offered the job to him. And the appointment was confirmed by a White House official, who added a word of praise, that Ingrassia “is a very helpful addition to GSA and will successfully execute President Trump’s America First policies.”
It should be noted that "America First" was a phrase adopted by the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. It become a more organized movement as the American First Committee whose efforts were to keep the United States out of WWII, so as not to fight the Nazis. "While the America First Committee attracted a wide array of support, the movement was marred by anti-Semitic and pro-fascist rhetoric," Brian Bennett wrote in an article for the Los Angeles Times in 2017.
I do not believe that Trump is a Nazi. And I understand why his supporters get so upset when others try to claim he is. But...man, if you don't want people to think you're a Nazi -- just stop quoting them, saying how nice they are, endorsing them and hiring them to work for you. It's pretty basic.
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