Trump compares Biden's justice tactics to Gestapo

According to American media on Sunday, former US President Donald Trump escalated his charges against his Democratic replacement, President Joe Biden, saying that the he had armed the US legal system against him, likening it to Hitler's Gestapo.

In a 90-minute address to high-ranking party leaders and wealthy contributors on Saturday, Trump—who is now running for president in 2024 on behalf of the Republican Party—made the analogy during a private event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. One of the contributors videotaped the speech, which was then sent to US media agencies.

Trump said in his speech that the Democrats were running "a Gestapo administration," alluding to the infamous Gestapo secret police agency in Nazi Germany, and implied that this was the only way they could prevail.

This rhetoric comes amid a heated campaign season and is an addition to a slew of statements made by Trump that have been criticized for being provocative. These statements include calling political opponents "vermin" and comparing immigrants to "animals."

According to the reports, potential vice presidential candidates were among the audience members who enthusiastically applauded Trump's statements at Mar-a-Lago.

As part of a "witch hunt" designed by the Democratic government to discredit him, his main opponent, Trump also attacked prosecutors engaged in several legal cases against him, most notably the ongoing hush-money trial in New York.

The White House distanced itself from Trump's language after promptly criticizing his remarks on Sunday. White House spokesman Andrew Bates criticized Trump's remarks and emphasized President Biden's resolve to bring the American people together behind democratic values and the rule of law.

In response to Trump's comments, Biden's team said that the former president's vituperative words confirmed their belief that his campaign was all about him, marked by rage, lies, and a desire for revenge on those he saw as opponents. 

Source: AFP