Donald Trump's use of the word 'vermin' draws more comparisons to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini

WASHINGTON − Donald Trump is drawing more comparisons to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini with his latest description of his political opponents as "vermin."

Trump used the term at least twice this past weekend, reminding many of how dictators like Germany's Hitler and Italy's Mussolini compared their enemies to rodents during their rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s.

"Dehumanizing groups of people to encourage followers to collaborate with or tolerate state persecution is exactly what authoritarians do," said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present."

"Trump's use of 'vermin' is in this tradition."

In a Truth Social post paying tribute to Veterans Day on Saturday, Trump said: "We pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxists, Fascists, and Radical Left Thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our Country."

Trump also used those phrases during a subsequent speech in New Hampshire.

President Joe Biden's reelection campaign noted that Trump's comments came in the context of Veterans Day.

"Donald Trump parroted the autocratic language of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini," said Aamer Moussa, spokesperson for the Biden reelection campaign. "Two dictators many U.S. veterans gave their lives fighting, in order to defeat exactly the kind of un-American ideas Trump now champions."

He added: "Donald Trump thinks he can win by dividing our country. He’s wrong, and he’ll find out just how wrong next November.”

The White House also weighed in. Spokesman Andrew Bates said: "Using terms like that about dissent would be unrecognizable to our founders, but horrifyingly recognizable to American veterans who put on their country’s uniform in the 1940s."

The Trump campaign said the criticism is coming from people who fear they will lose the election to the former president.

"Those who try to make that ridiculous assertion are clearly snowflakes grasping for anything because they are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome and their sad, miserable existence will be crushed when President Trump returns to the White House," the statement said.

Republicans had little to say about Trump's comments.

"I am not going to comment on candidates and their campaign messaging," said Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, speaking on NBC's "Meet The Press."

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, who was defeated for reelection in 2022 by a Trump-backed candidate, condemned the relative silence of McDaniel and others.

When McDaniel "refuses to condemn the GOP’s leading candidate for using the same Nazi propaganda that mobilized 1930s-40s Germany to evil, it’s fair to assume she’s collaborating," Cheney said on X, formerly Twitter.

Cheney said: "History will judge Ronna McDaniel and every Republican who is appeasing this dangerous man."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump 'vermin' controversy sparks more comparisons to Hitler