House Majority Whip James Clyburn compared President Trump on Sunday to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, arguing he would resist leaving the White House if he loses the election.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the South Carolina Democrat defended recent remarks he made saying the American people are going to be “duped by him, like the people of Germany was duped by Adolf Hitler.”
He argued Trump has “taken on strong-arm tactics” and that he feels “very strongly that he is Mussolini; Putin is Hitler.”
“I believe that,” he added.
Clyburn went on to say he doesn’t think Trump “plans to leave the White House, he doesn’t plan to have fair and unfettered elections.”
“I believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way, to continue to hold onto office,” he continued.
.@WhipClyburn: “I feel very strongly” that Trump is like “Mussolini, Putin, Hitler” pic.twitter.com/yOol3oNx3y
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 2, 2020
The comments come after Trump floated the idea of delaying the November election. He later said that he doesn't want to see a change in the election date, but that he also doesn't "want to see a crooked election."
"The American people need to wake up. I know a little bit about history, and I know how countries find their demise," Clyburn said Sunday. "It is when we fail to let democracy, and the fundamentals of which is a fair unfettered election, and that's why he is trying to put a cloud over this election, floating the idea of postponing the elections."