This is not just a Trump problem; America’s whole reputation is shot. I don’t care if Abraham Lincoln himself walked into the White House in 2029, no foreign leader can responsibly trust a nation that is perpetually four years away from electing another authoritarian nihilist.
It Isn’t Just Trump. America’s Whole Reputation Is Shot. David Brooks NYT 3/13/2025
While many draw comparisons between Hitler and Trump—particularly in how they gained and wielded power—I find the parallels between the German people of the early 1930s and Americans today more compelling.
After World War I, Germany was severely punished. It lost territory, its military was disarmed, and the burden of reparations crippled its economy. By the early 1930s, Germany, like much of the world, was in economic turmoil. Unemployment was rampant, and many were homeless and hungry. The country’s ability to recover was constrained by the strict terms imposed after the war.
In contrast, America in 2024 was not in crisis. The economy was largely stable, with low unemployment and a strong stock market. Inflation and housing affordability were challenges, but interest rate cuts signaled efforts to curb economic strain. Unlike pre-war Germany, the U.S. had not suffered a recent military defeat and remained the dominant global power, respected by allies and feared by adversaries.
Despite this position of strength, over 77 million Americans elected a candidate widely seen as aged, incoherent, and lacking a clear platform—a stark contrast to Germany in the 1930s, where voters turned to a charismatic leader promising national revival. Germany was desperate to rebuild; America was already strong.
From a historical view, which country was most guilty of making the most irrational choice at the time? The German people’s decision turned out to be catastrophic. Will America and Americans avoid the disapprobation of history? Time will tell…
I am less agitated by the pardons of two men within the past few weeks than the pardons granted by 77.3 million voters last November.
I have no sympathy for Buyer’s remorse. I note the surprise and consternation as the curtain opened and the opening acts started. The fine print was clear: no returns, no exchanges, and no refunds on this runaway circus of calamity. You bought the ticket, and now you’re strapped in for the whole ghastly ride, derailments and all.
Upset that his hand wasn’t on the Bible during the oath of office? Why bother with a prop for principles he neither understands nor respects!
“We criticized the German people for allowing a Hitler to rise, but in the early 1930s, Germany was reeling from a global economic depression, compounded by severe unemployment and the crushing reparations imposed after World War I. Restricted in rebuilding its military and manufacturing, Germany was a demoralized and defeated nation. In contrast, the United States in 2024 elected Trump amidst economic prosperity, low unemployment, and a position of military and political strength, fully in control of its destiny.”
What would Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Douglas McArthur, Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite opine if they were at the Inauguration ceremonies last Monday?
What struck and scared me as I read this book was how similar the political situations in Germany in the early 1930s were to the United States currently. Each country was and is going through a burgerkrieg (civil war) where there exists intense, political differences that often resulted in violence. Hindenburg stayed in office as he feared Hitler gaining political power. Hindenburg was accused of dementia and suffering from the ravages of old age. Today, Joe Biden fears a Trump presidency and the end of democracy in the United States. Biden too, is accused of suffering from dementia and being too old to serve another four year term.
In both the cases of Hitler and Trump, there were events that could have and should have ended their political pursuits. Hitler persevered through many defeats, political, personal and strategic.
I was not familiar with the appropriate knowledge of German history from 1918 till 1933 when Hitler seized power. Ryback provides the necessary background, history, and important men during this period. This book may provide a greater service in understanding what is happening in the United States today by looking back at what happened in Germany in the 1930s.
Shown below are my notes from this book..
“It has been said that the Weimar Republic died twice. It was murdered, and it committed suicide. There is little mystery to the murder. Hitler vowed to destroy democracy through the democratic process and he did.”
Trump and Hitler similarities Neither were drinkers Both felons Both thin skinned Both very poor liars (If you tell a lie long enough and keep repeating it…Goebbels) Both suffered election defeats that they refused to accept Both overestimated crowd sizes at various rallies and events Both were counted out after electoral and political defeats and came back Both sought to annul election results and lost Both seeking to establish dictatorships embraced by the populace Both opposed by older men (Hindenburg and Biden) who feared their rise to power Both promising “revenge” on their political opponents when they gain power Both used immigration issues (Hitler-Polish, Trump-Mexicans and South Americans) to stir up enthusiasm from their political base
Oswald Spengler knew both men. (referring to Hitler and Strasser). The author of the two volume landmark treatise Decline of the West was considered one of the leading conservative thinkers of today. Spengler found Hitler to be “clueless, indecisive, in a word, dumb. “
Adolf Hitler gave thousands of young Germans a chance from escape from reality Time wrote in December 1931. Hitlerites had uniforms, brass bands, roaring mass meetings, plenty of free beer. (Trump MAGA rallies 2020-2024)
The next day, Vorwarts (German newspaper) splashed the news in a banner headline, “Hitler wants to rule!” The editors were frantic at the thought. “The appointment of Hitler is out of the question because he lacks even the most basic qualifications”, they wrote. “You cannot trust a government to the leader of a party in recent days has been responsible for perpetuating countless horrific acts of violence without discrediting the authority of the state before the eyes of the entire world, not to mention the majority of its own people. “There was also the fact that Hitler served prison time for treason against the very state he was now seeking to rule.”
Esot-eric 