Is It Fair to Compare Trump to Hitler? A Look at Both Sides

In recent years, especially after the January 6 Capitol attack, some people have started comparing former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. They say Trump’s behavior reminds them of how Hitler rose to power in Germany. Others say that this comparison is wrong and dangerous. They argue that Trump and Hitler lived in very different times and did very different things. This article looks at both sides of the debate to help readers understand what’s true, what’s not, and why the facts matter.

Why Some People Compare Trump to Hitler

Many people who make this comparison say it’s not about calling Trump a Nazi or saying he’s as evil as Hitler. Instead, they say it’s about watching for warning signs that a leader is acting in dangerous ways. Trump and Hitler both built strong followings by presenting themselves as the only ones who could fix their countries (Ben-Ghiat, 2020). Hitler promised to restore Germany’s pride after World War I. Trump promised to “Make America Great Again” and said he would fight corruption and “the deep state.”

Both used fear and anger to unite their followers. Hitler blamed Jews and communists for Germany’s problems (Herf, 2006). Trump blamed immigrants, Muslims, and Democrats for many of America’s problems (Axios, 2023). Some of his words—like calling immigrants “vermin” or saying they are “poisoning the blood”—have been used in the past to stir up hate (Stanley, 2018).

Both also relied on propaganda and lies. Hitler used newspapers, radio, and posters to spread false messages. Trump often used social media and TV to push conspiracy theories, like claiming the 2020 election was stolen (Snyder, 2021). Experts say that spreading lies over and over again is a tactic used by many authoritarian leaders.

Another similarity is how both leaders dealt with violence. Hitler had loyal street gangs (the SA and SS) that attacked his political enemies. Trump didn’t have his own army, but he showed support for violent groups like the Proud Boys. He even told them to “stand back and stand by” during a debate. Then on January 6, 2021, many of his supporters stormed the Capitol because they believed the election had been stolen. Some historians, like Timothy Snyder (2021), say this was an attempted coup.

Why the Comparison Might Be Wrong

Others argue that comparing Trump to Hitler is not only unfair, it’s harmful. They say it confuses people about what really happened in Nazi Germany and weakens the meaning of words like “fascism.”

The biggest difference is the historical context. Hitler took power after Germany lost a world war, during a time of economic disaster and political collapse. He quickly turned Germany into a dictatorship, outlawed other political parties, shut down free speech, and killed millions of people, including six million Jews (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2022).

Trump, on the other hand, was elected in a stable democracy with working courts, free media, and regular elections. He pushed the limits of presidential power, but he didn’t cancel elections, jail his enemies, or shut down Congress. When he lost the 2020 election, the courts rejected his lawsuits, and he eventually left office (Levitsky & Ziblatt, 2018).

Also, Trump never committed genocide or anything close to what Hitler did. His immigration policies, like separating families at the border, were harsh and controversial, but they were not part of a plan to exterminate entire groups of people (Neier, 2021).

Many scholars also say calling Trump a fascist isn’t accurate. Fascism is a strict system where one leader controls every part of life—government, business, media, and more—and crushes all opposition (Paxton, 2004). Trump’s White House was often disorganized and full of turnover. He didn’t have the kind of control fascist leaders have. As professor Samuel Moyn (2020) said, Trump didn’t destroy democracy—he’s a sign that democracy is in trouble, but not gone.

Finally, critics say comparing Trump to Hitler is dangerous because it downplays how bad Hitler really was. The Holocaust wasn’t just a political crisis. It was a planned mass murder of millions. If we compare every bad leader to Hitler, the word loses meaning and power. As Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once said, we must remember history clearly so it’s never repeated.

Final Thoughts: Why This Debate Matters

Both sides of this debate raise important points. Trump acted in ways that alarmed many people. He challenged democratic rules, spread lies, and supported groups that used violence. These are serious concerns. But calling him “another Hitler” may go too far and confuse people about history.

We should be careful with comparisons like this. They can help us learn from the past, but they can also create fear or make serious crimes seem less unique. It's important to hold leaders accountable, but also to tell the truth about what really happened—then and now.

References

Axios. (2023, December 30). The racist history of Trump’s “poisoning the blood.” https://www.axios.com/2023/12/30/trump-poisoning-the-blood-racism

Ben-Ghiat, R. (2020). Strongmen: Mussolini to the present. W. W. Norton & Company.

Herf, J. (2006). The Jewish enemy: Nazi propaganda during World War II and the Holocaust. Harvard University Press.

Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2018). How democracies die. Crown.

Moyn, S. (2020, October 24). Is Trump a fascist? The New York Review of Books. https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2020/10/24/is-trump-a-fascist/

Neier, A. (2021). Genocide: The politics of a word. Open Society Foundations. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/genocide-the-politics-of-a-word

Paxton, R. O. (2004). The anatomy of fascism. Knopf.

Shore, M. (2025, June 16). Why a professor of fascism left the US: “The lesson of 1933 is – you get out.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/16/why-a-professor-of-fascism-left-the-us-the-lesson-of-1933-is-you-get-out

Stanley, J. (2018). How fascism works: The politics of us and them. Random House.

Snyder, T. (2021). Our malady: Lessons in liberty from a hospital diary. Crown.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2022). Nazi persecution and the Holocaust. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-persecution-and-the-holocaust