My brother Robb recently sent me a link to a Joe Rogan podcast comparing the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations. Robb is a lot younger than I am, and I don’t think he (or Rogan for that matter) was aware that lists of that sort have been floating around for over sixty years. Some of the items on the list are twisted to fit the comparative mode, and others are flat-out wrong, but it still makes for interesting reading. There was even a popular song in 1966 that used this list. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%E2%80%93Kennedy_coincidences_urban_legend)
I decided to try my hand at this sort of historical comparison, looking at two other leaders who operated about a century apart.
(1) Both men tried to overthrow their legally elected governments.
–In 1923, Adolf Hitler led a group of fanatical followers in an insurrection he hoped would end the Weimar Republic and establish Hitler as the head of the government. He was caught, convicted of treason, and sent to prison for a five-year term. He was released early because the government assumed that, since he had been thoroughly disgraced, he would no longer be a threat to the country. While in prison, he formulated a detailed plan to ensure that his second attempt would not fail.
–In January 2021, Trump encouraged a group of fanatical followers to gather in Washington for an insurrection he hoped would override the legitimate election results and establish Trump as the head of the government. Trump was caught and impeached, but his fellow members of the Republican party refused to embarrass him with a conviction. They assumed that, since his term had ended and he had been thoroughly disgraced, he would no longer be a threat to the country. After his defeat, Trump was indicted for numerous crimes, and convicted of many. While in exile from office, he formulated a detailed plan to ensure that his second attempt would not fail.
(2) Both men built their followings by stirring up anger, focusing on grievances, and pointing to minority groups as the cause of all of their problems.
–After his release from prison, Hitler slowly built a following by criticizing the government for signing the humiliating Versailles peace treaty after WWI. In 1929, world-wide economic problems caused the Great Depression, which hit Germany hard. Hitler attacked the government in power for allowing it to happen and blamed the economic problems on Jews, Gypsies, gays, those with mental disabilities, and anyone else he regarded as “inferior.” He used a technique called the “Big Lie” to assert that Jews were responsible for the Depression and all other problems facing the nation. Appealing to people’s suspicions and racial hatred, he assured the country, that if he were in power, he would get rid of all Jews and return the nation to greatness. He assured the German people that they would no longer have to think, that they merely had to trust him and he would take care of everything. His followers became known as Nazis, chanted slogans suggested by their Fuhrer at hate-filled rallies, and wore matching armbands featuring a swastika.
–After losing by 7 million votes in 2020, Trump continued to build his following by falsely claiming the election had been stolen from him, despite all evidence to the contrary. The U.S. experienced a brief period of inflation caused by world-wide economic problems resulting from Covid and supply-train issues. Biden tackled those problems aggressively, and the U.S. brought inflation under control faster than any other nation. Still, Trump attacked the government and convinced many Americans that things were worse than they actually were. He also blamed all of the nation’s problems on Blacks, gays, immigrants, and anyone else he regarded as “inferior.” He used a technique called the “Big Lie” to assert that all immigrants were murderers, rapists, and terrorists. Appealing to people’s suspicions and racial hatred, he assured the country, that if he were in power, he would get rid of all immigrants and return the nation to greatness. He told the American people that they would no longer have to vote, that they merely had to trust him and he would take care of everything. His followers became known as MAGA, chanted slogans suggested by their leader at hate-filled rallies, and wore matching red hats featuring those letters.
(3) Once in power, both men consolidated power and moved to eliminate all opposition
–Hitler’s Nazi Party won control of the government in 1933, despite having the support of less than half of the people. He cowed and bullied the rest of the government into supporting him with various threats. Once he had control of the courts and the legislature, he could do as he wished, ruling with autocratic impunity. He quickly moved to silence any opposition, attacking intellectuals, putting pressure on universities, intimidating or taking over newspapers, and using a new media source, radio, to spread his propaganda messages. Freedom of speech and the press came to an end, and it became illegal to even make a joke about Hitler. The device he used to instill fear and compliance in the German people was a paramilitary group called Sturmabteilung, orStorm Troopers. They wore matching brown shirts, swastika armbands, and used violence to silence Hitler’s opponents. Many of these young men were recruited from the ranks of the unemployed and given a club to use against anyone who dared to protest. They operated in gangs, even killing those who resisted. In a typical tactic, in 1933, Hitler had the Brownshirts burn the center of government, the Reichstag building, but declared the fire to be started by “communists” in order to gain even more power and authority. He then blocked all attempts to conduct an independent investigation of the crime.
–Trump’s Republican Party won control of the government in 2025, despite having the support of less than half of the people. He cowed and bullied the rest of the government into supporting him with various threats. Once he had control of the courts and the legislature, he could do as he wished, ruling with autocratic impunity. He quickly moved to silence opposition, attacking intellectuals, putting pressure on universities, intimidating newspapers, and using new media types, the internet and one-sided, submissive cable news sources, to spread his propaganda messages. Freedom of speech and the press have been seriously compromised, and he has used his influence to get those who make jokes about Trump removed from the airwaves. The device he uses to instill fear and compliance in the American people is a paramilitary group called Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. They wear masks and civilian clothing, ICE insignias, and use violence to make arrests while abusing America’s guaranteed civil rights. Many of these young men were recruited from the ranks of the unemployed and, with little training, given weapons to use against anyone who dared to protest. ICE is now the largest and best-funded law-enforcement agency in American history. In a typical tactic, just this week, Trump’s ICE agents murdered an unarmed mother of three, but justified the action by labeling her a “domestic terrorist” in order to gain even more power and authority. Trump then blocked all attempts to conduct an independent investigation of the crime, saying that federal authorities would investigate the murder. That’s a bit like having John Wilkes Booth investigate Lincoln’s assassination.
(4) Both men admired a contemporary dictator and copied their tactics.
–Hitler studied Benito Mussolini’s rise to power in Italy in the 1920s and emulated his style. Mussolini called his form of dictatorship “fascism,” using extreme nationalism to unify his following. Fascism is a form of autocracy that wins the support of the wealthy and corporations by promising them great affluence under the dictator’s leadership. Mussolini opposed labor unions and gave enormous financial advantages to corporations and the rich. Under this alliance between big business and the dictator, millionaires prospered at the expense of the poor and the middle class. When Hitler adopted fascism, he changed Mussolini’s Blackshirts to Brownshirts, civil rights and freedoms were dramatically undermined, and the wealthy Germans eagerly fell in line.
–Trump studied Vladimir Putin’s rise to power in Russia and has tried to emulate his style. Trump employs a modern form of fascism, winning the support of the wealthy and corporations (especially oil companies) by promising them great affluence under his leadership. He opposes labor unions and gives incredible financial advantages to corporations and the rich. Under this alliance between big business and the autocratic president, billionaires have prospered enormously at the expense of the poor and the middle class. When Trump adopted Putin’s dictatorial style, he changed the Russian secret police to ICE agents, civil rights and freedoms have been dramatically undermined, and wealthy Americans have eagerly fallen in line.
(5) Both men used their power for purposes of imperial expansion.
–In 1938, Hitler invaded Austria and annexed it to Germany to gain natural resources and in order to distract from the way he had trampled on German civil rights. He immediately issued propaganda statements to justify the illegal invasion, claiming it was necessary for national security, and threatening to do the same thing to the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. He did it knowing full well that Austria was vulnerable and that no one would try to stop him. He followed through on his promises of further military aggression, and in 1939, with the invasion of Poland, England and France finally declared war, after having waited so long that Hitler was almost too powerful to stop. Over fifty million people, more than half of them civilians, were killed in the ensuing world war.
–In recent days, Trump has invaded Venezuela to gain natural resources (oil) and in order to distract from a weak economy and the fact that he has been closely linked to a pedophile ring conducted by his close friend, Jeffrey Epstein. He immediately issued propaganda statements to justify the illegal invasion, claiming it was necessary for national security, and threatened to do the same thing to Colombia, Greenland, and Canada. He did it knowing full well that Venezuela was vulnerable and that no one would try to stop him.
At this point, we don’t know if Trump will follow through on his threats or if his reckless actions will escalate into a full-scale war the way it did in Hitler’s day. If it does, far more than fifty million will die, given the power of current weapons. Nor do we know if we are witnessing the end of our 250-year-old democracy in the U.S. The signs are certainly there for those willing to see them, and they have been for some time. At the least, it will take a generation or more to repair the damage done by this deranged and disgraceful human being. Hitler’s name has become synonymous with “evil,” and Trump seems determined to follow that same path. The only question is: What will it take before the American people and the Republican Party stand up and try to stop him? I only hope that we do so before it’s too late.