Donald Trump recently claimed that he has never read Adolf Hitler’s seminal Nazi autobiographical work Mein Kampf and denied that his political rhetoric resembles that of the Nazi leader.
Trump, the current President of the United States, was responding to a reporter’s query about his alleged Hitler comparisons posed to him by a young reporter on Monday during a news conference at the White House. The reporter asked Trump if he is concerned that his ” words have encouraged white supremacists and whether or not he has read Mein Kampf in order to fuller acquaint himself with Hitler’s ideology.
Trump offered an emphatic “No” in response to the question, affirming that he has not read the book. He then proceeded to ask the reporter if they had read it, which was met with silence.
Trump also dismissed the suggestion that his rhetoric is in any way similar to that of the Nazi leader: “No, it’s not at all similar. There’s no comparison.” Trump then said that he “hopes” the reporter gets to read it someday.
The president’s denial and response are unsurprising, since the comparison between his rhetoric and that of Hitler’s has become increasingly frequent in light of the president’s inflammatory comments about immigrants, Muslims, and other minority groups. Additionally, Trump has frequently faced criticism for his failure to condemn domestic terrorists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis, which has sparked outrage in the international community.
The book itself, Mein Kampf, was written by Hitler during his prison stay in 1923, where he outlined his ideological beliefs and plans for Germany – plans which would eventually lead to the Holocaust and other war crimes of World War II.
It is unclear why Trump has not read the book, given its overwhelming historical significance and the similarities being drawn between him and Hitler. However, this lack of familiarity with the book is unlikely to assuage the ongoing worries surrounding Trump’s use of language.