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I found Timothy Ryback’s recent article “Trump turns trials into a soapbox. So did Hitler” (Star-Advertiser, Insight, April 10) to be very chilling. The similarity in Adolf Hitler’s publicity tactics when he was on trial for treason in 1924 do appear to mirror Donald Trump’s approach to gain attention and popular support in 2024.
There are other worrisome similarities. Hitler understood that the more extreme a German citizen’s prejudices and right-wing nationalism, the more receptive they were to the Nazi Party platform. Another similarity is that Hitler recognized that there was a reverse correlation between a citizen’s acceptance of Hitler’s strident misrepresentations of the facts and their level of education.
When I read William L. Shirer’s book, “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” years ago, I concluded such a phenomenon could never occur in this country. As the 2024 election approaches, I increasingly fear that I was wrong.
Mark Brown
Ala Moana
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