Adolf Hitler comparisons were rife during former Fox anchor Megyn Kellyâs talk with Bill Maher on Friday.
The duo began speaking about the Russia-Ukraine War, but quickly devolved into a debate about whether Republicans or Democrats were âon the wrong sideâ of history, with accusations of fascism generously peppering the argument.
âIn the news this week, I mean, we thought when the Ukraine War started, Putin would be isolated. Heâs not isolated. He had the BRICS nationsâthatâs Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and now four or five other countriesâitâs about half the worldâs population, around 35 percent of the GDP,â the Real Time with Bill Maher host prompted.
âThese are the dictator countries. Thereâs a very World War II feeling here, when the dictator countries are getting together. I mean in World War II, what did Hitler and the Japanese have in common? Nothing! Except they saw the world one wayâfascism,â he said.
Maher then suggested that history might be repeating itself with partisanship between dictatorships and democracies, and hinted that Republican nominee Donald Trump fell firmly into one camp.
âSomehow the world seems to be dividing between the âgood guyâ countriesâthe democratic countriesâand these autocracies. And, if your guy gets in, weâre gonna be on the wrong side of this one."
Kelly defended, âOkay, if my guy gets in I think weâll go back to the time that we had when he was president, which was the only time we didnât start a war and get involved in a war.
âPutin did not invade Ukraine until Biden took over. We had the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which projected weakness through the world. People understood that we were enfeebled, and that is what was provocative. Weakness is provocative.
âTrump destabilized these people. They didnât know what to expect of him. Next thing you know, heâs bombing Soleimani. Trump did strategic strikes that had people on their heels, they didnât know what he might do to them,â she said.
âYeah, itâs what he might do to us that Iâm a little more worried about,â Maher countered.
âWeâve had four years of Trump. Trump did not go after his political enemies with the Department of Justice, that was Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,â Kelly said.
Maher then returned to historical comparisons, using Hitlerâs Third Reich as a sounding board.
âWell, we had Hitler in the â30s and things were okay, and then we had Hitler in the â40s and they got way worse. Just because we had himâŚâ
Kelly interrupted, âHe hid his Hitlerism the first four years and is going to come out full force in the second term?â
âWell he tried to do things like that, he tried to do dictatorial, fascist things and he was stopped,â said Maher.
Kelly then suggested that President Joe Biden âflouted the lawâ with student loan forgiveness plans and rent abatement, and claimed that âhe and Kamala Harris unleashed this Department of Justice against their political enemy Donald Trump, their number one chief rival for the presidency.â
As the audience began laughing, she demanded, âIs it funny? âCause they did it. You wanna talk fascism, thatâs fascist.â
âI think history is not gonna be kind to your point of viewâŚâ Maher concluded after the audienceâs titters died down.