Let’s Not Fool Ourselves

Dear Leading Ladies,

Autocracy.

Dictatorship.

The end of democracy.

Takeover of the Supreme Court.

Denial of health care and services for the poor.

We hear these threatening words and terms every day. They have become so common that, in some ways, we are becoming inured to them. In other ways, they are still so hard to believe that we just don’t.

We decided to compare some of Trump’s actions to those of Hitler in an effort to make sure we are not burying our heads when we should be even more horrified and motivated to fight what is upon us.

Book Banning

In Hitler’s Germany:

“On May 10, 1933, university students in 34 university towns across Germany burned over 25,000 books. The works of Jewish authors like Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud went up in flames alongside blacklisted American authors such as Ernest Hemingway and Helen Keller, while students gave the Nazi salute…The Nazi war on ‘un-German’ individual expression had begun.” (PBS)

In Trump’s United States:

“ …the Department of Defense’s new policies banning books, classroom discussions, events, and extracurriculars that relate to race and gender in military-run schools on bases around the world.” (ACLU) This includes more than 500 titles that allegedly promote “woke” ideology and are about women, LGBTQ people, and people of color. Books include Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, and hundreds more. In addition, “Posters of historical figures, like Frida Kahlo, are being removed from walls. Black History Month celebrations are being cancelled.” 67,000 children are served by military schools around the world. (ACLU)

Universities and Curricula

In Hitler’s Germany:

Beginning in 1933, professors in Germany began losing their jobs, some because they were Jewish, others because of their political beliefs. Many academics supported the Nazi Party over the Weimar Republic; they were able to keep their jobs.

In Trump’s United States:

Since January, Trump has been “exerting extraordinary influence over American universities by threatening to cut them off from funding and, in some cases, students.” Almost ironically, Trump’s expressed argument is that universities and colleges are “bastions of antisemitism and ideological indoctrination.” In response, “Brown, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania — have made deals with the White House. Some have agreed to pay millions of dollars to restore research funds and end federal investigations.” (New York Times)

Raiding People’s Homes

In Hitler’s Germany:

“Another consequence of Hitler’s ruthless dictatorship in the 1930s was the arrest of political opponents and trade unionists and others whom the Nazis labeled ‘undesirables’ and ‘enemies of the state.’” Raids on the homes of perceived political enemies proceeded in November 1938, the Nazis organized a riot (pogrom), Kristallnacht (the “Night of Broken Glass”) in November 1938. “This attack against German and Austrian Jews included the physical destruction of synagogues and Jewish-owned stores, the arrest of Jewish men, the vandalization of homes, and the murder of individuals.” (myjewishlearning.com)

In Trump’s United States:

On August 21, 2025, FBI agents searched the home of John Bolton, now a critic but formerly an adviser to President Donald Trump, “in what a source familiar with the matter said was part of a national security probe.” (Reuters) Undoubtedly, this is only the beginning, since Trump made a campaign promise to use the powers of the government for revenge against those he believed wronged him.

Museums

In Hitler’s Germany:

“Soon after their rise to power in 1933, the Nazis purged so-called ‘degenerate art’ from German public institutions. Artworks deemed degenerate by the Nazis included modern French and German artists in the areas of cubism, expressionism, and impressionism. Approximately sixteen thousand pieces were removed, and by 1938 the Nazi Party declared that all German art museums were purified. Hitler wanted new cultural and artistic creativity to arise in Germany, with the ‘folk-related’ and ‘race-conscious’ arts of Nazi culture replacing what he called the ‘Jewish decadence’ of the Weimar Republic. According to the Nazis, acceptable and desirable art included Old Flemish and Dutch masters; medieval and Renaissance German artworks; Italian Renaissance and baroque pieces; eighteenth-century French artworks; and nineteenth-century German realist painters depicting the German Volk culture.” (archives.gov/publications)

In Trump’s United States:

“….the Trump White House called this month for a review of all current and future exhibitions at eight of the Smithsonian’s museums, including several of its major art museums, to assess their ‘alignment with American ideals’.” The White House also released a list of museum programming it considered objectionable at museums beyond the Smithsonian. Museums throughout the country are changing exhibit plans for fear of being attacked by Trump. (New York Times)

Performing Arts

In Hitler’s Germany:

In Nazi Germany, “Works by certain playwrights were banned. Nazi-produced political plays and musicals were not very popular so the regime allowed classic plays by the likes of Shakespeare to be performed…In classical music, works by Jewish composers like Mendelssohn and Mahler were banned and the works of the German composer Wagner were promoted, gaining huge popularity. The Nazis were strongly opposed to jazz music, which they referred to as 'Negro music' and called it 'degenerate'.” (bbc.co.uk)

In Trump’s United States:

Recently, “Donald Trump took the unprecedented step of naming himself as chair of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, one of the nation’s premier cultural centers, after purging the board of Biden appointees and installing a slate of unqualified donors and loyalists, according to The Guardian. “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA,” the US president wrote on Truth Social.” He will control what will and will not be performed and hopes to have the center named after himself soon.

Are you scared yet?

We are.

Best,

Therese (she/her/hers)
Judy (she/her/hers)
Didi (she/her/hers)
Leading Ladies Executive Team
Leadingladiesvote.org
ladies@leadingladiesvote.org