Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said Tuesday critics who believe “Hitler” and “fascist” comparisons contribute to political violence were “absolutely wrong” during an interview on CNN following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“So, I‘d like to ask you to respond to critics who have pointed the finger at Democrats, who have used phrases like ‘fascist’ or ‘Hitler,’ made comparisons to those things over time. Do you think that that‘s contributed to this, or are those critics wrong?” CNN host Kasie Hunt asked Crockett during her show, “The Arena.”
“They‘re absolutely wrong,” Crockett said. “Here’s the reality: They don’t want American people to know any forms of history. We know that there was news out today about the president going after yet more historical information.
JASMINE CROCKETT DISPARAGES MAGA VOTERS, TRUMP AS ‘MOST UNPATRIOTIC PEOPLE’
“The reality is that when we look at what is taking place, when you look at an authoritarian, and what they do is they try to basically say you have to do whatever the government says, even if that means that your personal freedoms are going to be subjected to whatever we say, whether it’s right or wrong. Right now, our personal freedoms are constantly under attack,” she said.
Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10 while speaking at an event on a Utah college campus.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during The Color of Conversation during the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival at Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center Aug. 7, 2025, in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
“It seems like violence is okay if it is only because the man that is currently serving in the White House asked for it. Even when we look at ICE officers and what they are doing to those that are accused of violating our law, that is what they think violence is okay for. But then when it ends up happening, and it comes back on the other side, they claim that it’s because of the Democrats and them using words like fascist,” Crockett added.
The progressive congresswoman rejected the idea that far-left rhetoric led to Kirk’s killing, defending her right to refer to President Donald Trump as “wannabe Hitler” during a Friday appearance on “The Breakfast Club.”
Crockett argued during the Sept. 12 interview that Trump fostered a culture of political violence. While she denounced political violence, she also condemned Republicans for “presuming that [the assassin] is somebody that came from our side of the aisle.”
“We got to talk about, like that, that is next level,” she said. “Me disagreeing with you, me calling you, you know, ‘wannabe Hitler,’ all those things are, like, not necessarily saying, ‘Go out and hurt somebody.’ But when you’re literally telling people at rallies, ‘Yeah, beat them up’ and that kind of stuff, you are promoting a culture of violence.”
Crockett has called Trump an “enemy to the United States.”
She also referred to him as “Temu Hitler” over the GOP’s redistricting efforts in Texas.
Kirk’s assassination has sparked a nationwide conversation about political violence, particularly whether referring to one’s opposition as “fascist” or “Hitler” encourages unstable radicals to target them in lone wolf attacks. Investigators said bullet casings found near where Kirk was killed were inscribed with anti-fascist messages.
Since the July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump, Republicans have accused members of the media and Democratic opponents of fueling violence by repeatedly comparing him to the Nazi leader.
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during a hearing with the Subcommittee on Delivering On Government Efficiency in the U.S. Capitol Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., urged Democrats to stop calling Trump “Hitler” during a CNN interview that aired on Sunday.
“I think you just don’t ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler and those kinds of extreme things,” Fetterman said. The interview was conducted before Kirk was confirmed dead but after news broke that he had been shot.
“Now, look what happened to Charlie Kirk. I mean, you know, the man was shot. Now, we have to turn the temperature down. We can’t compare people to these kinds of figures in history. And this is not an autocrat. This is a product of a democratic election,” the senator added.
