Republicans are disgusted by Donald Trump's recent statements in which he invoked the language of Adolf Hitler, quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin and praised other authoritarian leaders.
Several lawmakers pushed back at the former president, saying migrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” as part of comments made at a rally in New Hampshire on Saturday.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said, “I think it's useless rhetoric,” said a Hill report. And fellow Senate GOP leader Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said she “obviously” disagrees with his language.
“We are all children of immigrants,” the West Virginia Republican said. 'It's just part of his campaign rhetoric, I think. I don't know, I can't explain it.'
Republicans aren't feeling warm and fuzzy about former President Donald Trump's recent comments in which he used the words of Adolf Hitler to talk about migrants
Speaking about migrants at his rally last weekend, Trump said, “They are poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they did.'
He added that illegal immigrants were “poisoning mental institutions and prisons around the world.”
The words appear to be taken from Adolf Hitler's 1925 manifesto Mein Kampf, in which the German dictator wrote: “All the great cultures of the past perished only because the original creative race became extinct from blood poisoning.”
Trump told his supporters that immigrants were “pouring into our country” from Africa, Asia and around the world. He even claimed that 'no one even looks at them, they just come in'.
At the same meeting, Trump also quoted Putin in claiming that President Joe Biden is a “threat to democracy.”
“Even Vladimir Putin… says Biden's, and this is a quote, politically motivated prosecution of his political rival is very good for Russia because it shows the rot of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.” , the ex said. – said the chairman.
Putin made these comments in September at an economic forum in Russia.
Asked about Trump citing Putin in arguments against the slew of charges against him, Capito said, “I can't be responsible for what he says.”
On the other hand, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he doesn't care what kind of language Trump uses because his policies were more effective than Biden's in quelling the southern border crisis.
Speaking at a rally in New Hampshire on Saturday, Trump used a phrase that appeared in Hitler's 1925 manifesto Mein Kampf and also quoted Vladimir Putin to defend himself against the 91 charges against him.
While Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-Ky.) says Trump's rhetoric crossed the line, he still thinks Biden has failed to do anything to adequately address rising illegal immigration.
“My grandfather was an immigrant, so I don't agree with that sentiment,” the Senate's No. 2 Republican said.
“We are a nation of immigrants, we are a hospitable country, but we are also a nation of laws,” he added. “We cannot allow this rampant law-breaking at the southern border. It's gotten out of hand. It's insane.
“We are not upholding the rule of law in our country and I think this is wrong and it sends all the wrong signals to the rest of the world,” Thune concluded.
Trump's latest rally, where he also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Hungary's authoritarian leader Viktor Orban, gave Democrats more ammunition as the ex-president also faces 91 crimes in Washington, DC, Miami and New York. York.
“Donald Trump channeled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong Un and quoted Vladimir Putin as he ran for president promising to rule as a dictator and threaten American democracy,” a spokesperson for Biden's re-election campaign said .
Sen. Graham (R-S.C.) has criticized Donald Trump's language in describing illegal immigrants, claiming he is more concerned about actions.
“You know, we're talking about language,” he told NBC News Meet the Press host Kristen Welker. “I don't care what language people use as long as we get it right.”
“You know, I think the president has a way of talking that sometimes I don't agree with,” Graham added. “But he actually delivered to the border.”
'People are looking for results. If all you want to talk about about immigration is the way Donald Trump talks, you're missing a lot.”
This isn't the first time Trump has been compared to authoritarian leaders — he even suggested in an interview earlier this month that he would rule like a dictator, but only on “day one” of his second term.