It’s not the speech, it’s the violence

I’m a big fan of history. History can teach us lessons and help us avoid the pitfalls that trapped our ancestors. But I’m always wary when people invoke historical antecedents to justify their reactions to the present. That’s particularly true when Hitler or the Nazis are invoked. Keeping that caution in mind:

During the presidential elections of March and April 1932, Hitler’s paramilitary Brownshirts formed “emergency squads” to intimidate voters. On the night of the Reichstag election on July 31, 1932, Brownshirts unleashed a wave of violence, including the murders of local officials and communist politicians. When five Brownshirts were sentenced to death for these murders, Hitler condemned the sentences as “a most outrageous blood verdict” and declared that “from now on, your freedom is a question of honor for all of us, and to fight against the government which made possible such a verdict is our duty.” These words bear a disturbing resemblance to a statement made by Donald Trump during a January 2024 speech, where he defended his supporters’ actions during the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack — an attack that included assaulting police officers and attempting to disrupt the lawful transfer of power to Joe Biden. Trump claimed his supporters had acted “peacefully and patriotically” — despite the attack resulting in more than 1,200 criminal charges, with nearly 900 individuals pleading guilty or being convicted. Referring to those serving sentences, Trump said, “Some people call them prisoners, I call them hostages,” and promised to pardon them if re-elected. Indeed, on January 6, 2025, as Trump began his second term, he fulfilled his promise.”

Regardless of whether you believe Trump is America’s Hitler, there’s no doubt that the January 6 violence was terrorism, calculated to project fear in politicians. And it worked:

“The fear of political violence likely influenced some Republicans to refrain from voting to convict Trump during his impeachment trials. Numerous journalists have reported that Republican lawmakers privately express concern that Trump might incite his MAGA supporters to engage in acts of political violence against them if they fail to support him. (In 2016, the Capitol Police recorded fewer than 900 threats against members of Congress, but after Trump took office in 2017, that number more than quadrupled. The threats continued to rise throughout his presidency, reaching a peak of 9,700 in 2021.) Former Senator Mitt Romney hired personal security for himself and his family after receiving threats following his vote to remove Trump from office for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack. Romney revealed to his biographer that during Trump’s impeachment, a member of the Republican Senate leadership had initially leaned toward voting to convict Trump. However, after other senators expressed concerns for their personal safety and that of their families, the senator ultimately chose to acquit. Similarly, former Republican Representative Liz Cheney disclosed to CNN that several House Republicans confided in her their fears for their own security and, in some cases, for their lives. Former Republican Representative Peter Meijer also heard similar concerns from his colleagues. Additionally, Senator Thom Tillis reportedly said that the FBI had warned him about “credible death threats” when he was contemplating voting against Pete Hegseth’s 2025 nomination for Secretary of Defense. Tillis eventually voted in favor of Hegseth’s confirmation.”

Now that there are incompetent Trump loyalists leading the FBI, I would fear for my life if I publicly opposed this administration. America’s brownshirts (Proud Boys, Boogaloo Bois, etc.) are emboldened by knowing their violence will be reframed as patriotism by Trump and his cult.

https://www.juancole.com/2025/03/weimars-lesson-violence.html