(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is catching flack for referencing Nazis when criticizing President Donald Trump.
The last part of Pritzker’s speech Wednesday included references to Nazis six times as he discussed the election of Trump to the White House.
“If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,” Pritzker said.
After the speech, state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, said such rhetoric is not fit for airing in the General Assembly.
“That rhetoric is out of place and need not be talked and spoken in the General Assembly,” Halbrook said. “It was completely wrong.”
State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, said Pritzker’s rhetoric equating the Trump administration to Nazis is juvenile and dangerous.
“And to call Trump and Republicans Nazis is dangerous political grandstanding and will only insight the violence he claims to condemn,” Niemerg said.
Asked how his comments aren’t an insult to more than half of the voting public who supported Trump, Pritzker pushed back.
“Those words never came out of my mouth, that is not true what you just said,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event following the speech. “Here’s what I will say. I think it is important to talk about the destruction of a constitutional republic.”
More than 5 minutes of Pritzker’s budget address was focused on the history of Nazi Germany and the parallels he said he sees with the new Trump administration.
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