Trump stirs up the ghosts of Nazism
"Where are we in Anne Frank's diary?" The words of Pedro Rodríguez, professor of international relations at Complutense University, carry the weight of a pronouncement. A bombshell that forces us to reflect on Trump's threats in light of Hitler's crimes. The professor was responding to comments during a televised debate in which the panelists avoided using overly harsh labels to describe Donald Trump. They called him a capricious businessman who had pocketed $3 billion by 2025, or perhaps a narcissist leaning towards extremist positions. But no one dared to identify him as a fascist or, even worse, a Nazi. And Pedro Rodríguez, opening Anne Frank's diary, suddenly exposed the reluctance to speak plainly. These reservations are shared in the United States by figures who are, let's say, equidistant, such as journalist Robert D. Kaplan, but are by no means accepted by Nobel laureate in economics Paul Krugman or historian Robert Paxton, for whom Trump is a fascist reminiscent of Hitler.
The same was thought a few years ago by his current vice president, DJ Vance, who went so far as to say "Trump copies Hitler," and who now admires and obeys him. One person who hasn't changed his mind is John Kelly, Trump's chief of staff during his first term, who continues to express his fears of a fascist Trump.
The flurry of analogies doesn't stop. From Minneapolis emerges an unexpected one. Groups of Immigration police, ICE, patrol masked The urban landscape, with its posturing and methods of conduct and intimidation, evokes a sense of unease among citizens and some media outlets, reminiscent of the SS and the Gestapo, given their history of arrest, deportation, and humiliation. It bears a striking resemblance to the grim retinues of torture and death that swept across Europe in the 1930s and 40s. Where are we in Anne Frank's diary? What stage of the destruction of democracy in the US are we in, even as polls indicate declining public support for Trump, now hovering around 36%?
Vladimir Putin is now happy with Donald Trump's annexation of Greenland because he knows this episode helps him maintain a relatively firm grip on Ukraine after four years of war. They are delighted to have met again and to be able to do business together. Like Stalin and Hitler did from August 1939 to June 1941. Both shared an ideology of economic, technological, and military coercion until Hitler said enough was enough.
The midterm elections are in danger.
More scenarios similar to those of eighty-five years ago: Trump embellishes the puppet and failed state of Venezuela with fabricated good relations without taking the step of occupying it. A maneuver that has oil at its core. The oil that drove Hitler to occupy Norway, placing a textbook collaborator like Vidkun Quisling in charge.
The same collaboration imposed by Trump on Delcy Rodríguez, which the Venezuelan is currently enduring. But if the Chavista army were to split and go on a rampage—a not entirely implausible scenario—the White House would have to send troops to safeguard the oil. And then planes loaded with flag-draped coffins would once again arrive at US airports. The MAGA people would be seriously angry. Perhaps as angry as Chevron and its partners, who oppose military escalations that would drastically reduce Trump's public support.
And what could happen to the November midterm elections? More than ever, they would be in danger of being canceled or rigged with mechanisms to alter the results. We mustn't lose sight of what Trump casually remarked in Davos: "Sometimes you need a dictator."