CNN —
Donald Trump on Monday compared his Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden to a 1939 pro-Nazi rally at the same venue, telling a Georgia supporter that he was “the exact opposite of a Nazi.” told.
The former president also tried to use his criticism of his rally as a flashpoint for all Trump supporters, falsely claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris called people who voted for him Nazis.
“The latest line from Kamala and her campaign is that anyone who doesn’t vote for her is a Nazi,” President Trump told supporters at a rally in Georgia, a line echoed by his Democratic rivals. is not actually said.
Harris made the swoop last week after The Atlantic reported that Trump expressed loyalty to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi generals while in the White House. The report was corroborated by retired Marine General John Kelly, who was President Trump’s chief of staff from 2017 to 2019, and who separately told the New York Times that Trump fits the definition of a fascist.
Harris responded to these reports during a CNN town hall, saying that she believes Trump is a fascist and that “the people who know him best should be trusted on this matter.” Her campaign has used The Atlantic’s reporting and Kelly’s comments in ads in recent days.
President Trump appeared to respond to those comments Monday night in Georgia, saying his father had inspired him to never describe people as Nazis or Hitler.
“He always said, ‘Never use the word Nazi. Never use that word.’ And he said, ‘Never use the word Hitler.’ Don’t use that word,” President Trump said.
“They use that word — actually both words,” Trump added of Democrats. “He’s Hitler.” And they say, “He’s a Nazi.” ”
President Trump said, “I’m not a Nazi.” “I’m against the Nazis.”
Trump also responded to Harris calling her a fascist, saying, “She’s a fascist, okay?” she’s a fascist. ”
President Trump’s explanation of Harris comes days after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the vice president’s use of language “reckless” and said it could lead to violence. This was done despite the claims made.
The attack on Harris came amid the political fallout from President Trump’s Sunday rally at the iconic Madison Square Garden. There, a comedian who opened for the former president called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.” The remarks sparked widespread condemnation and a backlash among the public. The fastest growing Latino group in Pennsylvania.
Harris told reporters on Monday that the inflammatory comments at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally were “nothing new” for the former president, who regularly used violent rhetoric to target illegal immigrants. .
“It’s the same as always, maybe even more vivid,” Harris said. “Donald Trump spends his full time trying to get the American people to blame each other. He stokes the fuel of hatred and division, and that’s why people are tired of him.”
Harris did not call Trump or his supporters Nazis. But her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on Sunday criticized President Trump’s frenetic Madison Square Garden rally and the infamous 1939 rally of Nazi supporters at New York City’s landmark arena. He said there were “direct similarities” between the two.
“And don’t think for a second that he doesn’t know exactly what they’re doing there,” Walz said.
President Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, complained about the comparison on Monday.
“They decided to liken those of us who gather in Madison Square Garden to celebrate the United States of America to literal Nazis. Of course they called us racists because we wanted to secure the southern border. “These are the same people who have no plans, no ideas, no solutions. All they have is hatred for their fellow man,” Vance said while campaigning in Wisconsin. he said.
Later, at another event, Mr. Vance argued that the values of the American soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy to fight Nazi Germany in World War II were far removed from the policies supported by Mr. Harris.
“If you think those brave people were fighting for open borders and sex-reassignment surgeries for illegal aliens, the right word for you is ‘dipsh*t,'” Vance said.
CNN’s Kit Maher, Aaron Perish, Nikki Carvajal, Michael Williams and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
