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GOP senator's 'Hitler' attack against Dems backfires — and pummels JD Vance

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
David McAfee
May 24, 2026

A GOP senator's call to stop comparing Donald Trump to Hitler backfired this weekend — because JD Vance did it first.

Sen. Mike Lee's attempt to put Democrats on the defensive over comparisons between Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler blew up in his face on Saturday and into Sunday when critics quickly pointed out that the most prominent person to make that comparison was Trump's own vice president.

"When you compare Trump to Hitler, you encourage assassination attempts," Lee posted. "Stop it. There's zero legal or moral justification for violence against him. I invite all Democrats to echo this message."

The response was swift — and awkward for Lee.

"The only major figure in American politics right now who compared Trump to Hitler is JD Vance," wrote activist Harry Sisson, cutting to the heart of the problem with Lee's framing.

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) was equally direct: "Trump's own Vice President literally compared him to Hitler. Spare me the hypocritical finger-pointing. Let's just agree political violence is never justified."

Vance, of course, made his now-famous remarks about Trump in 2016, writing in a private message that Trump might be "America's Hitler" — a comment that surfaced publicly and that Vance has since disavowed as he transformed himself into one of Trump's most loyal allies.

Some respondents agreed with Lee's core point while rejecting his premise. "There is zero justification for violence against any political figure, full stop," wrote Mike Young. "But historical comparison to authoritarian patterns is not incitement — it is analysis. The men who attempted to kill Trump in 2024 were not motivated by Hitler comparisons. Lee knows that. The invitation to echo a false premise is the setup, not the principle."

Spencer Hakimian simply replied: "Agreed" — appending Vance's original Hitler comparison to his post.

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