Former President Donald Trump was attacked by the Biden administration after he said that Democrats were leading a “Gestapo administration,” alluding to Nazi Germany.
President Joe Biden is committed to uniting Americans, according to White House spokesperson Andrew Bates, “instead of echoing the appalling rhetoric of fascists, lunching with Neo Nazis, and fanning debunked conspiracy theories that have cost brave police officer their lives.”
Human rights organizations have repeatedly attacked Trump’s four ongoing criminal prosecutions while denouncing his use of Nazi and fascist iconography. Trump has frequently referred to the several indictments he is facing as “election interference,” even if Biden or other authorities are not specifically targeting his effort for reelection.
During the weekend, Trump stated, “These people are running a Gestapo administration,” during a closed-door gathering for Republican donors. Furthermore, it’s all they have. They truly believe that this is the only way they can prevail, even though it is killing them. However, I’m not bothered by it.
Voices of America was able to get audio of the comments. The remarks from the former president were made one day prior to Sunday night’s start of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Trump did not specifically mention any court or prosecutor when he used the phrase “Gestapo.” He is subject to a gag order in his hush money trial in New York, which resumes on Monday.
Jewish organizations swiftly condemned Trump’s remark as well. “It’s always wrong, offensive, and despicable to make comparisons like this — especially more so when taken alongside the former president’s long history of normalizing antisemitism, from the ‘fine people’ in Charlottesville to his embrace of deadly conspiracy theories and tropes,” said Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, in a statement.
During his speech to contributors, Trump also used profanity to characterize Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution of Trump regarding his purported misuse of confidential data and efforts to void the 2020 election results.
In addition, the former president attacked Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, who is pursuing an election case against the former president at the state level.
The Republican donor conference not only helped raise money for Trump’s campaign but also functioned as a sort of trial run for his potential vice presidential contenders.