Rachel Maddow Warns of Holocaust Denialism Resurgence Tied to Trump Campaign

Rachel matow has recently highlighted a deeply disturbing Trend as election day approaches the Resurgence of Holocaust denialism within the orbit of the Trump campaign known for her sharp analysis and willingness to tackle tough subjects matto has raised alarms over this shift noting that it is just one of several concerning elements emerging as Donald Trump's political rhetoric intensifies Holocaust denialism once relegated to the extreme fringes of society is seeing a resurgence in political discourse mattow is particularly concerned that this Resurgence is happening in spaces adjacent to Trump's campaign reflecting how conspiracy theories and extremist views have seeped into mainstream Politics the Holocaust one of the most well-documented genocides in history has long been a target for denialists who seek to rewrite or distort history the fact that such views are being echoed in political circles so close to a major campaign raises significant fears about their impact on public discourse mattow points out that this Resurgence is not an isolated event but part of a broader trend of anti-Semitic rhetoric and revisionist history becoming more acceptable in certain political spheres she emphasizes that normalizing Holocaust denialism is not just about erasing history it signals a dangerous undercurrent of hate that could embolden those with harmful ideologies the rise of Holocaust denialism isn't the only red flag in madow eyes throughout Trump's campaign other deeply troubling aspects have emerged many of which signal a turn toward authoritarianism from advocating violence to openly admiring foreign dictators matto has consistently raised the alarm about how these elements represent a stark break from democratic Norms Trump's Infamous calls to lock up political opponents his flirtations with violent rhetoric and his praise for authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin have become focal points in mat's critique in her analysis these actions are more than just inflammatory they are a road map to a political ideology that thrives on fear Division and the erosion of democratic principles for MTO the real danger lies in how all these troubling aspects are interconnected the rise of Holocaust denialism the Embrace of violence and the admiration for authoritarian figures are all signs of a campaign willing to flirt with the darkest aspects of political life this is particularly alarming given Trump's significant influence and the possibility of him returning to the highest office in the country as viewers prepare to cast their votes mad's analysis serves as a stark reminder of the stakes involved her concerns are not just about one campaign or one election but about the future of a political system that could be fundamentally altered if these dangerous ideologies are allowed to take root and grow in an election season already marked by division and uncertainty Matt's Spotlight on these issues is a crucial reminder of The Power of Words ideas and historical memory the spread of Holocaust denialism and authoritarian rhetoric are not just troubling they are Urgent threats that require vigilance from all who care about democracy and Justice this gross even darker than usual term from the Republican nominee comes at a very late moment in the presidential campaign and it comes at a time when something that we can't ignore um is Raising its head again in their political circles and that I can't even believe I have to say this but it's part of the news cycle again from them um it's Holocaust denial and I say it's it's come up from them again because of course we had Trump host a dinner for rapper Kanye West after West said he was going Defcon 3 on Jewish people and started posting swastikas online Mr West's dinner companion was a self-avowed Nazi with a large online following we then recently had a major point of awkwardness between the Trump campaign and one of their largest donors remember remember when Trump said the Medal of Honor was a bad thing because members of the military who received that highest military honor that we give as a nation they've usually been shot or killed in defense of their country by the time they received that award do you remember the context of why he said that the reason he said that the the Riff that led him to that is because he was saying the Medal of Honor is bad compared with another medal that he said was better because the other medal he said was better was the one he had given to his billionaire donor Miriam adelon why was he talking about the fact that he gave Miriam Adon that medal years ago he didn't give it to her recently he gave it to her when he was president why was he bringing that up now on the campaign Trail because he was trying to make nice to her he had to make nice to her because he wants her money for the campaign again this year and he had to make something up to her because a bunch of text messages were leaked in which his running mate JD Vance talks smack about Mrs Adon and specifically her late husband those disparaging messages about the adon's were leaked to the Press by the person to whom JD Vance sent the texts this is a man who JD Vance was texting with a lot including texting this man disparaging remarks about a famous Jewish Republican political donor the man who JD Vance was texting with about that the guy who leaked the messages to the Press is himself most notorious for being a holocaust denier and now Senator Vance is due to go do a big public event with a former Fox News host who just spoke at the RNC who Then followed that up with a big public- facing laudatory interview with yet another Holocaust denier whom he praised as the best public historian in America a man who says the United States fought on the wrong side in World War II that Hitler was not the real bad guy in World War II that Hitler has gone to heaven and who has said that it's a myth that the Nazis ever really set out to kill the Jews it is astonishing that Holocaust denial is not an accidental brush with this campaign but something that keeps coming up over and over and over again and it's not just something that's like utay or impolite it's really consequential and it's really worrying that this is a recurring thing in this presidential campaign that this presidential campaign that this presidential candidate keeps churning up new associations with Holocaust deniers every few weeks or months because because why do people do that what what is Holocaust denial for what purpose does it serve Holocaust deniers don't think that there's been a big misunderstanding or that there's been sort of some good faith mistake about what really happened in history what Holocaust deniers are contending is that a deliberate lie has been concocted to make us believe something that isn't actually true to make us believe that the history we've been taught about what happened in World War II is a hoax a hoax perpetrated by the Jews to make Germany look bad when Germany doesn't really deserve that when Hitler really wasn't so bad Holocaust aners say not only that the Holocaust didn't really happen but the myth of the Holocaust was invented as a hoax to make Nazism and fascism look bad when really they're not bad at all they're good right that's the first level implication of Holocaust denial and it's not only a bad and dangerous thing because it's an overt effort to rehabilitate Nazism and fascism and whitewash what is bad about those things it's also bad because it entails a conspiracy theory about the world today which ultimately demands that we get rid of democracy and get ourselves a strongman government instead because Holocaust denial isn't just you know oh I'm fuzzy on what really happened it was a long time ago Holocaust denial particularly the kind being promoted by the guy who JD Vance is about to appear with this variety of Holocaust denial is the contention that there is a conspiracy that is teaching you a lie that is trying to make you believe a myth about some bad thing having happened to the Jewish people that didn't really happen and why have you been taught this myth about a bad thing happening to the Jewish people when it didn't really happen well that's the Jews who are teaching you that myth because it serves Jewish interests because Jews are so powerful and so conniving that they invented this fake history and made us all believe it the contention of the Holocaust deniers is that nothing bad actually happened to the Jews but you've been manipulated into believing that it did because Jews are secretly this unimaginably powerful cabal and their mind controlling us all for their own purposes to get what they want and what do they want they want white Christians to look bad so that they can be in charge they want to destroy the white race they want to destroy Christianity they want to rule the world and the implication of this is that if there's a group that powerful conspiring against Christians everywhere well what could possibly stop them certainly there's no point in engaging in you know Democratic political processes because hey if the real power is in the hands of this secret evil Elite operating behind the scenes then nothing you do in so-called politics is going to ever matter the evil cabal will keep pulling the strings so don't bother participating in po itics it's all a ruse it's all a hoax you know there's an evil conspiracy that's really running everything in that formulation democracy is for suckers right democracy is naive and maybe even evil if it allows these evil powerful groups like Jewish people to participate in Democratic processes along us the Christians who are ever more their victims so in the short term right before you rush to the eliminationist murderous ends that Holocaust denial inevitably leads to even before you get there the consequence of perpetrating this stuff the consequence of platforming this stuff the consequence of telling these lies of defining Jewish people as as perpetrating a hoax against white Christians or even of defining Jewish people as the secret power behind the government or culture or Finance or whatever the consequence of it what you're telling people is that we should give up on Democracy because we're going to need to take Extreme Action Against these very very very very all powerful evil enemies within so maybe we'll start with camps for millions of people and long prison sentences for everybody we identify as an enemy and and what did he say it will be a bloody story so none of this is good I mean happy birthday North Korea I wish you all the best but none of this is good we are heading into the first and likely the only presidential debate of this campaign while the Republican ticket is not just led by a self-professed fan of the weirdest and worst dictators around the world a self-professed fan of dictatorship itself he is now promising at his rallies that there will be Bloodshed he is getting his crowds to laugh at deadly violence perpetrated against his political enemies he has turned a skull fracture into a laugh line he is promising to imprison his enemies on mass he is telling his crowds that his supporters who have committed criminal acts of violence vience on his behalf he will Spring them all from prison because they are his Martyrs and now his running mate is about to go do a ticketed Tour event with the most high-profile American Media figure to have ever promoted Holocaust denial because Hitler wasn't really the bad guy in World War II and by the way the United States was on the wrong side of that fight welcome Vice Presidential nominee jdance with that as the Republican Party platform this year heading into the first debate the presidential race is tied between the two parties and the character of the race on the Republican side the deao platform of the Republican party here is not just a little red flag here for danger this is all the alarms going off all at once there has never ever been a presidential contest in this country with Stakes like this