“Label Trump a ‘Nazi’”: Mike Huckabee Offers Advice to Harris Amid Biden’s “Garbage” Comment Fallout
In a recent interview with Real America’s Voice, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) reacted to a controversial statement made by President Joe Biden, which some interpreted as labeling former President Donald Trump’s supporters “garbage.” Huckabee suggested that if Vice President Kamala Harris wanted to gain political leverage, she should go as far as to label Trump a “Nazi,” even though Huckabee personally found such a label absurd.
The controversy stemmed from Biden’s response to a comedian’s remarks at a Trump rally, where Puerto Ricans were insulted as “garbage.” Biden’s response, initially misunderstood, seemed to suggest Trump’s supporters fell under the same derogatory term, though a White House transcript later clarified his intent.
Huckabee seized on this exchange, arguing that Harris’s silence on the matter aligned her with Biden’s alleged view of Trump supporters. “When something like that happens, the smart play is to disavow yourself and say, look, I think Donald Trump is a Nazi, which she’s been saying, which is ridiculous in itself,” Huckabee remarked, suggesting Harris disassociate herself from Biden’s comments by taking an extreme stance.
“Because then that means all of us who support him, we must be following a Nazi,” he continued. He argued that Harris’s silence on the matter essentially indicated her agreement with Biden’s assessment of Trump’s supporters as “garbage.” In a further attempt to underscore his point, Huckabee made a provocative comparison, alleging that Biden’s treatment of Trump supporters was akin to the dehumanization tactics used during the Holocaust.
“So if you’ve decided that some human beings really are garbage, rubbish, and trash, and need to be exterminated because they just aren’t that important, it’s not hard to get there,” Huckabee opined, linking Biden’s rhetoric to what he claimed were the Nazis’ tactics of portraying certain groups as expendable to justify their persecution.
Huckabee’s comments are part of a larger trend within the Trump camp, where Biden’s rhetoric is portrayed as an assault on Trump supporters. His remarks echoed past criticisms where comparisons to authoritarian regimes have been used to amplify grievances and project a sense of persecution among conservative voters.
Huckabee’s framing, however, was particularly intense, as he directly referenced one of history’s darkest events, suggesting Biden’s language could escalate to similar attitudes of societal division. Political analysts suggest that Huckabee’s commentary is less about practical advice for Harris and more about mobilizing Trump’s base by portraying Biden and Harris as out of touch with, and even hostile to, a large portion of the American public.
Huckabee’s insistence on such divisive language illustrates the extreme polarization characterizing the current political climate, as both sides seize on language missteps or controversial rhetoric to energize their respective supporters. The White House’s clarification on Biden’s remarks attempted to mitigate the fallout, specifying that Biden’s intention was to call out the “demonization” of Latino communities, not the character of Trump supporters as a whole.
But Huckabee’s remarks have added fuel to the fire, further intensifying the partisan clash in the final stretch of the election season. As the campaign nears its climax, rhetoric from both sides has escalated, with figures like Huckabee emphasizing extreme characterizations to underscore what they see as a moral battleground. While Huckabee’s suggestion to Harris was likely more rhetorical than serious, it reflects the depth of division in American politics and the often inflammatory strategies used to sway public opinion.