"Fact Check: CNN’s Van Jones Claims Only Republicans Labeled Trump as Hitler, Nazi, or Fascist"

 **CLAIM:** CNN commentator Van Jones asserted on Election Night that only Republicans referred to President-elect Donald Trump as a "Hitler," "Nazi," or "fascist."

**VERDICT:** False.

Jones stated, “The thing I think that’s most important to remember is … The people who said [Trump] was a Hitler lover, weren’t Democrats. They were Republicans. People who said that he was a fascist weren’t Democrats. They were Republicans who worked for him. It’s not just that there’s these elite Democrats over here, poisoning the well. You had a pretty broad consensus from Chomsky to the Cheneys that were very concerned and remain concerned.”

However, a review of public statements shows that numerous Democratic figures and commentators also used similar language to criticize Trump throughout his time in office.

While Van Jones accurately noted that some former Republican colleagues of Donald Trump had labeled him as a fascist or likened him to Hitler, he was incorrect in claiming that Democrats, mainstream media, and the Kamala Harris campaign did not embrace these comparisons.

In the lead-up to Election Night, for example, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz—a Democrat and former running mate of Kamala Harris—suggested, without evidence, that Trump’s campaign rally at Madison Square Garden mirrored a Nazi rally. Speaking to supporters in Las Vegas, Walz stated, “Don’t miss on this, go do your Google on this — Donald Trump’s got this big rally going at Madison Square Garden. There’s a direct parallel to a big rally that happened in the mid-1930s at Madison Square Garden. And don’t think that he doesn’t know for one second exactly what they’re doing there.”

This and other comments from Democratic figures indicate that such rhetoric was not limited to Republicans alone.

The “Trump Praised Hitler” narrative emerged following a report in *The Atlantic*, which claimed that former President Donald Trump had expressed admiration for German generals under Adolf Hitler. According to Peter Baker and Susan Glasser’s book *The Divider: Trump in the White House*, Trump allegedly told his former chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly, “Why can’t you be like the German generals?” This remark was reportedly made during a period when Trump was frustrated with military officials he considered disloyal. When Kelly corrected him, explaining that German generals had attempted to assassinate Hitler multiple times, Trump reportedly rejected the explanation, insisting that they had been "totally loyal to him."

In recounting the exchange, Kelly said he attempted to clarify the historical context, mentioning figures like Rommel, who was forced to commit suicide after his involvement in a plot against Hitler. Trump, according to Kelly, appeared unfamiliar with Rommel or the broader historical events. While Kelly and former Gen. Mark Milley confirmed the conversation, no audio recording of the exchange has surfaced, and Trump has denied making the comment.

Some Republican leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson, cautioned against spreading these claims, citing concerns over potential violence. In a joint statement, they remarked that pushing such narratives could further endanger Trump, especially after multiple assassination attempts. They noted that Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent comments, which invoked the darkest chapters of history, seemed to stoke political animosity rather than promote civility.

Their statement argued, "Harris has only fanned the flames beneath a boiling cauldron of political animus," suggesting that her words were more aligned with the rhetoric of those who had attempted to harm Trump than with her earlier appeals for unity.