No, Trump, Never Again

Taking a stand against the Nazi tropes used by Donald Trump to energize his radical right-wing followers is crucial right now.

To paraphrase the great sage Hillel the Elder of the first century: If we do not protect ourselves now, then who will? If we only think selfishly and not about protecting all Americans, then what have we become? And if we don’t act now then will we ever act to protect ourselves and the world from this scourge?

Alarmingly, Trump has announced a rally in Madison Square Garden on October 27, right before the November election day.

Those who know their history will recall that six and a half months before Adolf Hitler invaded Poland, a rally to celebrate the rise of Nazism in Germany was held in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. At the time that rally was held, Hitler was completing his sixth concentration camp in Germany.

Trump is ramping up his fascist rhetoric in advance of the US election. He has called his political opponents “the enemy within” and suggests that the military be used against them. The Holocaust Encyclopedia notes, “A key part of Nazi ideology was to define the enemy and those who posed a threat to the so-called ‘Aryan’ race. Nazi propaganda was essential in promoting the myth of the “national community” and identifying who should be excluded. Jews were considered the main enemy.”

Equally alarming is Trump’s suggestion that some races are genetically predisposed to violence. In an interview, Trump evoked the eugenics theory, claiming that some migrants have “bad genes” that make them predisposed to committing murder.

Eugenics is the thoroughly debunked theory that social ills of modern society—criminality, mental illness, alcoholism, and even poverty—stemmed from hereditary factors. This theory became a cornerstone of Nazi ideology. Called “racial hygiene,” this theory shaped many of Nazi Germany’s racial policies. Individuals the Nazis defined as “hereditarily ill”: those with mental, physical, or social disabilities, were targeted. Nazis claimed these individuals placed both a genetic and a financial burden upon society and the state.

Now Trump wants to demonize immigrants, his favorite target, with this totally discredited idea.

How many Nazi dog-whistles are necessary for people to see where Trump is going with this rhetoric?

Many Democrats are not fooled. “Let’s be clear,” Democrat New York Democratic State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal posted on X.  “Allowing Trump to hold an event at MSG is equivalent to the infamous Nazis rally at Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939,” posted on X in response to the announcement.

The comparison was swiftly slammed by his Republican counterpart, but Hoylman-Sigal nevertheless stood by his remarks, saying “I’m not calling anyone a Nazi” and that he was only “pointing out a historic similarity.”

“I was talking about the venue and many of his followers who are white supremacists and have demonstrated hatred and vitriol toward minority groups, including Jews, people of color and the LGBTQ community,” he added.

Let us be absolutely clear. White Christian Nationalism, the ideology of the far-right followers of Trump, is inherently antisemitic. You can’t demand a “Christian” nation and be in favor of fully including all religions in the body politic.

Vice-President Kamala Harris is totally clear about the danger Trump poses. She just called him out on the “enemy within” and the use of the military.

“You heard his words, coming from him. He’s talking about the enemy within … he’s talking about that he considers anyone that doesn’t support him, or who will not bend to his will, an enemy of our country,” Harris said.

Vice-President Harris went on to say, “He’s saying he would use the military to go after them … and we know who he would target, because he has attacked them before: Journalists whose stories he doesn’t like, election officials who refuse to cheat by finding extra votes for him, judges who insist on following the law instead of bending to his will. This is among the reasons I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America, and dangerous.”

As a Jewish Rabbi and a Christian pastor, we are united in supporting a democracy where all religions are respected and valued. We are also united in opposing Donald Trump because he poses a threat to our democratic ideals.

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This post was co-authored by Rabbi Marc Gopin and Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite.