References to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany became a source of fierce debate within the 1st District race between U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin and Democratic challenger Perry Gershon late last month, when Mr. Zeldin sharply criticized his opponent for saying his motivation for becoming more politically active came from similarities he sees between the rise of Donald Trump and the rise of Adolf Hitler.
Another recent invocation of Hitler and the Nazis—this time by a prominent political figure within Mr. Zeldin’s own party—has drawn national attention and re-stoked the debate about the consequences and effects of making what many agree is the most provocative and incendiary reference there is, politically speaking.
At the premiere of well-known conservative Dinesh D’Souza’s new film, “Death of a Nation: Plantation Politics and the Making of the Democratic Party,” in Washington, D.C., on August 1, Donald Trump Jr. gave an interview to the conservative media outlet One America News Network in which he referenced the Nazi Party while giving his thoughts on the film and the modern-day Democratic Party.
“When you look at the movie, you’ll see that there is a very distinct and clear difference between what actually happened and what is being sold to our youth today,” he said, according to the Chicago Tribune on August 2. “You see the Nazi platform from the early 1930s … and you look at it compared to the DNC platform of today, you’re saying, ‘Man, those things are awfully similar,’ to a point where it’s actually scary. It’s the exact opposite of what you’ve been told.”
Mr. Zeldin, who, like Mr. Gershon, is of the Jewish faith, has made it clear how he feels about any references to Hitler or Nazi Germany. On July 8, he tweeted: “Many in politics have resorted to calling all policies they disagree with as Nazi policies and all people they disagree with as ‘Nazis.’ It’s not working. Rightfully so. I’m trying to figure out what is getting insulted more: their own intelligence, or everyone else’s?”
Mr. Gershon originally drew Mr. Zeldin’s ire after saying at several town hall meetings and public forums that he was “struck by the parallels between the rise of Donald Trump today and the rise of Hitler back then” after taking a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington with his son two years ago. He has referred to Mr. Zeldin as an “enabler” of Mr. Trump and his policies.
At the end of July, Mr. Zeldin called Mr. Gershon’s comments “disgusting,” adding: “You can’t compare any president in the history of our country or their supporters and voters to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.”
Mr. Zeldin repeated that last phrase when asked earlier this week about Donald Trump Jr.’s comments. But when asked if he was personally disappointed or frustrated that Mr. Trump—who is scheduled to attend Mr. Zeldin’s next fundraiser this month—made those comments, he declined to affirm feeling either emotion or to criticize him. He did, however, reiterate his distaste for the comparisons in a general sense.
“It could be someone in my family, a friend, or a stranger—my view on the issue is not colored with any different stripe based off who the person is saying it. I have my beliefs, and my belief is that you can’t compare it to anything,” he said.
Mr. Zeldin drew a distinction between the way he feels about Mr. Gershon’s comments, and the way he feels about Mr. Trump Jr. making similar references, explaining why he is more offended by Mr. Gershon’s statements and more openly and publicly critical of him.
“My opponent was attacking me [with those comments], trying to kick me out of office because of comparisons to Trump and Adolf Hitler, and that’s absolutely insane,” Mr. Zeldin said. “I was responding to [Mr. Gershon] saying that as part of his stump speech, and the fact that he was choosing to run against me because of those comparisons. It’s a different point when you’re personalizing it to me.”
For his part, Mr. Gershon said he believes that Mr. Zeldin’s intense public criticism of his campaign comments was an attempt to distract voters from the issues, and he has not backed down from his original comments.
“I talked about what’s going on and my fears,” he said. “I see creeping authoritarianism in Trump and Zeldin policies: taking babies away from mothers, siding with dictators against our intelligence agencies and allies, siding with insurance companies looking to take away health care and coverage for people with pre-exisiting conditions, calling the press the enemy of the people. Lee Zeldin has never criticized Trump for any of it.”