Donald Trump‘s Ohio weekend rally is being held up as a warning by critics who say it was a dystopian display of fascism and are sounding the alarm on his supporters’ religious-like supplication to QAnon and the former president – complete with a disturbing salute.
Central to their argument is this moment, at the end of Trump’s rally, when supporters raised their arms, holding one finger pointed in a QAnon reference, which many saw as far too close to, as The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin writes, the Nazi salute.
“Donald Trump has gone full QAnon. As he spoke during a rally for Ohio Republican candidates on Saturday, a soundtrack associated with the conspiracy theory played. That elicited one-armed salutes — another QAnon symbol — from many attendees,” Rubin says.
“The display bore an uncanny resemblance to the infamous Nazi salute,” Rubin warns at The Washington Post. “The delusional incitement and zombie-like response should put to rest the notion that President Biden (or anyone) should be ‘reaching out’ to these people. They are unreachable, and pretending otherwise misleads voters.”
Dean Obeidallah, an attorney, journalist, and host of SiriusXM Progress’ “The Dean Obeidallah Show,” posted video noting his concerns.
“Symbolism matters,” writes former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, pointing to Rubin’s tweet. “This gesture is so reviled it’s impossible to miss it, and although it’s hard to believe anyone could intend it, ignoring the truth is not a path forward.”
Many others are ringing the warning bells.
NBC News and MSNBC military analyst Barry McCaffrey, a four star U.S. Army General (ret.) also makes the Hitlerian connection.
As did government watchdog Citizens for Ethics (CREW).