A gay Holocaust survivor has compared former President Donald Trump to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler ahead of the presidential election in November.
With the help of her children and grandchildren, the 88-year-old woman, known as Grandma Elli, was able to familiarise herself with TikTok and start posting observations about the upcoming US presidential election.
“I’ve been around a long time and seen many crises, but never like this one in our country,” she said in her first video. “As far as I can see, there’s really only one question to answer as we decide who we want for our next president, and that is: Do we want to continue our democracy, civil liberties, and free elections, or do we want a ‘wannabe dictator,’ by his own words, who will go after our freedoms one by one, dismantle them, and then take vengeance on all who disagreed with him?”
“We are at a big crossroads, and it’s up to you guys to decide,” she added.
Elli has since posted six other videos to her account, laying out her case that Donald Trump is an ideological heir to Adolf Hilter. She argues he uses the same tactics as the Nazi dictator in his quest for power and displays the same disregard for democracy and fundamental human rights and values.
@grandmaelli The use of Terror and fear are how dictators maintain their power. People become afraid to speak up, because their lives are threatened. Trump has already boldly stated that he will come after those who opposed him and imprison those who spoke out against him….. on day 1. #democracy #terror #art #fear #election #independent #democrat #republican #harris #trump #maga #2024 #dictator #liars #vote #president #campaign
Each of her videos addresses a different topic, such as Trump’s propensity for falsehoods and refusal to admit wrongdoing; the threat a Trump administration poses to reproductive rights; the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and a history of American violence; and stoking fear and hatred to gain power.
She also has two separate videos talking about the Holocaust — specifically Auschwitz — and how Trump’s attempts to demonise entire groups of people echo Hitler’s demonisation of minorities and so-called “undesirables.”
“It may not be the exact story of the past, but the patterns, if we are not wiser and more aware, will often be the same and repeat themselves,” she says in the first Auschwitz video. “Yes, people, the Holocaust did exist. And I am one of the lucky ones who was able to escape in 1938 when Hitler annexed Austria.”
In the second Auschwitz video, she says: “The stage is now being set for a repeat of these atrocities, with the neo-Nazis and the white supremacists and the ultra-Christian Right supporting Trump. This could happen again…. People in Germany didn’t want to believe what Hitler could do. They found out. And now we know better. So, please, let’s act like we know better. Please vote for our democracy.”