Trump hits back at ‘Hitler’ comparisons, says left must ‘tone it down’ to stop political violence

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump isn’t taking the Adolf Hitler comparisons from the left lying down. During a sit-down with CBS’s '60 Minutes' on October 31, Trump slammed the “rhetoric” used by his critics.

CBS correspondent Norah O’Donnell met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, for what turned out to be a headline-grabbing exchange. At one point, O’Donnell pressed him on political violence in America, particularly after the brutal murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10, and several recent attempts on Trump’s own life.

Trump rejects ‘Nazi’ comparisons, blames political violence on the left

“The issue of political violence, I want to get to,” O'Donnell said, “because you were nearly assassinated in Butler, Pennsylvania. Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's house was firebombed. A Minnesota lawmaker was murdered. What's your message to those on the left and the right who would seek to commit acts of violence?”

“Well, I think primarily on the left,” Trump responded. “A little bit of both, but I think primarily on the left. I think they have to tone it down.”

After a brief detour to criticize Democrats over the government shutdown, O'Donnell steered the president back to the main topic. “Do you feel like we're at a breaking point?” she asked.

“No. It's been much worse,” Trump said.

O'Donnell pointed out that several public officials, including Trump’s aides, now reportedly live on military bases for safety reasons. “Sure, but the political violence that, you know, we just outlined. The number of members of people in public that have been targeted. And then I just read that there's now a number of your cabinet secretaries and aides who are now living on military bases,” she noted.

Trump slammed the rhetoric and the repeated comparisons to Hitler. “Yeah. Usually, when people talk, they're not the problem. It's the ones that don't talk, in terms of that. But yeah, I think it's a lot of the rhetoric,” he said. “Look, they call me a Nazi all the time. I'm not a Nazi. I'm the opposite. I'm somebody that's saving our country. But they call me Nazi. They have talking points, you know? They have just talking points.”

The president also blasted the press for fueling division.

“And the press is, is largely responsible for it,” he said. “The fake news, what they've done, I think one of the greatest terms I've ever come up with is fake news. What they've done to our country is very bad. They have to change around. Now, nobody believes the fake news. Nobody believes 'em. I mean, they've gone, you talk about popularity, you talk about approval, their approval numbers have gone from, like, in the 90s to in the teens now.”

Trump recounts multiple attempts on his life

Trump’s frustration isn’t without reason. He has survived multiple attempts on his life in recent years, the most chilling being the July 13, 2024, shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. The would-be assassin opened fire from a nearby rooftop as Trump spoke at an open-air campaign rally, grazing his upper right ear and killing one attendee.

Just two months later, on September 15, 2024, another gunman was intercepted by the Secret Service while hiding in shrubbery at the Trump International Golf Course in Florida. The suspect was reportedly armed and ready to fire but was quickly neutralized. These incidents followed earlier attempts in 2016 and 2017.

The most recent tragedy occurred on September 10, 2025, when conservative activist Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed while speaking at Utah Valley University. A sniper fatally shot the 31-year-old while he was answering a question about gun violence.

As O’Donnell noted during the interview, several other violent incidents have shaken the political landscape. In June, a Minnesota lawmaker and his spouse were murdered, and in April, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was reportedly firebombed.

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