Politics

"I wish I had the generals that Hitler had." This sentence, allegedly uttered by Donald Trump in the Oval Office, shows that he has little knowledge of the complexity of Hitler's support. On the other hand, he has confirmed that he is a dunce in history.

Do you need to know history to become President of the United States? It's undoubtedly an advantage, particularly in diplomacy, but it's not necessary. Donald Trump has already been able to sit in the Oval Office of the White House despite obvious shortcomings. According to several collaborators during his term from 2016 to 2020, he once declared: "I wish I had the generals that Hitler had." If he meant their loyalty, he's seriously mistaken. It's true that the little Austrian painter was able to count on the army in his ambitions of conquest in the early days of Nazism, out of common interests. On the battlefield, some generals, including Erwin Rommel, allowed the Wehrmacht to achieve great victories. But that didn't last.

Assassination

By placing Nazi bigwigs in military positions and bringing the army into line, the Nazi dictator ended up cultivating detachment, contempt, and even the desire to finish him off. Since the end of the 19th century and the German Empire, the military had a certain autonomy in the field of operations. Particularly during the 14-18 war. Hitler and his Nazi regime would change that. The army would have to be held accountable. From 1933, officers had to swear loyalty to the Führer, and no longer to the constitution. At first, Nazi military policy worked. But from 1941, several German generals opposed Berlin's strategy. This would cost them, at best, their freedom, at worst, their lives. The situation deteriorated inexorably. Rommel was even invited to "commit suicide" after the attack of July 20, 1944, without it being possible to formally prove his participation in the plot. However, this – failed – attack against Hitler and the attempted putsch were indeed fomented by senior officers of the military and repressive apparatus.

Other Trumpian approximations

Other statements made by Trump cast doubt on his historical culture. No one is immune to a slip of the tongue, of course. Thus, Donald Trump was probably thinking of September 11, 2001 when he mentioned the July 11 attacks during a rally in Buffalo, New York, during the 2020 Republican primary. The ex-presidential candidate had also stated in August 2020 that the Spanish flu pandemic of "1917" ended "World War II." He probably meant the First World War (14-18), this pandemic that began in 1918. Moreover, while it probably played a role in the general exhaustion, it was not the flu that ended the war, but the Armistice of November 11. Patient zero was a man from Kansas who was infected in March 1918 by a bird. Called up just after, he took the virus to his military camp. Some of his comrades then took it to Europe! This flu reached Spain in May 1918, a neutral country whose epidemic was highlighted by the press. This flu affected sailors in America and Europe, then Africa, Asia and Oceania and become a pandemic in the fall of 1918. The last case was reported in July 1921 in New Caledonia.

History of America

Another slip of the tongue was when he praised, in a speech on July 4, 2019, the capture of airports against the British during the War of Independence of 1775! He probably meant ports, since airplanes didn't yet exist at the time. In 2017, he gave the example of the "remarkable work" of Frederick Douglass, implying that he believed that this abolitionist who died in 1895 was still alive. In addition, during a speech, Trump had claimed that the United States had been founded by abolitionists. However, slavery existed at the time of the country's founding. In addition, several of the Founding Fathers were themselves slave owners.

Confidence despite ignorance

These are just a few examples of approximations, simplifications and factual errors. In 2017, Douglas Brinkley, CNN presidential historian, described Trump as “historically illiterate.” He claimed that the president had “no knowledge” of major American events. “He’s proud, he tells people he doesn’t read books, and it shows in the crazy conspiracy theories he peddles.” 7 years later, this continues to be his hobby horse: rewriting history if not reading it. Despite everything, his aplomb allows him to chart his course in the hope of a new term…

(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Sources: CNN, Cairn.info, Wikipedia – Picture: © picture alliance / Newscom | JIm Bourg)