Media Falsely Claim Trump Quoted Hitler

Written by Hudson Crozier

What’s happening: Corporate media outlets have baselessly accused former President Donald Trump of echoing Adolf Hitler for saying that illegal immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.”

Who is Trump talking about?

What the media say: Several headlines say Trump’s remarks target “immigrants.”

The facts: Trump’s comments are about “illegal immigration,” not immigrants in general. He specifically refers to migrants with dangerous backgrounds, criminal records, or diseases illegally crossing the border. The New York City Health Commissioner recently announced that illegal migration from disease-ridden countries is causing higher rates of polio and tuberculosis.

• What Trump said: “We know they come from prisons,” Trump said in the original interview. “We know they come from mental institutions [and] insane asylums. We know they're terrorists … It's poisoning the blood of our country … people are coming in with disease.”

Is Trump quoting Hitler?

What the media say: One outlet said Trump’s words “are straight out of” the late Nazi leader’s writings. Others claim he “copied,” “echoed,” or “adopted” Hitler’s rhetoric about Jews “verbatim.”

The facts: The media references Hitler’s quotes that are explicitly about “race” and the belief whites shouldn't mix with “inferior” populations. Trump has not once mentioned race and answered “no” when asked if he was referring to race.

Why it matters

We’ve seen this before: Legacy media smeared Trump throughout his presidency with hoaxes that have largely never been retracted.

• Exhibit A: Media outlets skewered Trump in the wake of August 2017’s demonstrations in Charlottesville. Many said he called neo-Nazis “fine people,” though Trump explicitly said then: “I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and white nationalists because they should be condemned totally.”

Big picture: Dramatic anti-Trump narratives are back with a vengeance ahead of the 2024 elections, centering around the theme of a racist, fascist dictatorship if he wins reelection.