At a Mar-a-Lago event, Trump compares the Biden administration to the “Gestapo.”

ATLANTA — At his Florida resort this past weekend, Donald Trump informed Republican donors that Joe Biden is leading a “Gestapo administration.” This is just the most recent instance of the former president using terminology from Nazi Germany in his campaign.

Those who attended the event and spoke about the private session on condition of anonymity described what was said on Saturday at Mar-a-Lago.

One person claimed that Trump made the “Gestapo” remark in response to Biden’s White House being implicated in several criminal prosecutions of the presumed GOP nominee, including his ongoing trial for fraud and hush money in New York and other cases related to his attempts to rig the 2020 election.

The Gestapo was the Third Reich’s covert police agency that suppressed political dissent in general and singled out Jews for detention during the Holocaust. Trump is denying and attempting to divert attention from the accusations made against him, most notably his attempt to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory, before a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. This is why he is drawing an unjustified comparison to Nazi-era tactics.

In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Republican governor of North Dakota Doug Burgum essentially reaffirmed Trump’s assertion while attempting to downplay its significance.

Burgum, a potential Trump running mate, said, “This was a short comment deep into the thing that wasn’t really central to what he was talking about.”

Burgum confirmed that Trump used the analogy to support his claim that Biden’s legal issues are the result of his work in the White House. According to Burgum, “the majority of Americans believe that the trial he is currently facing is politically motivated.”

After getting hold of an audio recording from the Mar-a-Lago gathering, the New York Times broke the news of Trump’s remarks first.

Trump told GOP donors, “These people are running a Gestapo administration,” the newspaper reported. “They can only prevail in this manner.”

Biden’s campaign for reelection attacked the allusion.

A spokesman for the Democratic campaign, James Singer, said in a statement that “Trump is once again making despicable and insulting comments about the Holocaust, while in the same breath attacking law enforcement, celebrating political violence, and threatening our democracy.”

A request for comment from the Associated Press was not immediately answered by Trump’s campaign. The audio of Trump’s remarks at the fundraiser is not available to the AP.

Prior to the 2024 election, Trump used language reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s authoritarian reign in Germany when he called political rivals “vermin” and claimed that immigrants crossing the border between the United States and Mexico are “poisoning the blood of our country.”

In December, Trump asserted during an interview on conservative talk radio that “I know nothing about Hitler.” “Aside from what I’ve seen on the news, I don’t know what Hitler said. And what I’m saying is completely different from that.

A second witness who attended Mar-a-Lago over the weekend told the AP about Trump’s meandering luncheon speech, which blended his criticism with upbeat Republican applause.

The second Republican recalled that during his at least ninety-minute speech, Trump declared that “the gloves are coming off” against Biden. Another time, Trump addressed the numerous Republicans vying to be his choice for vice president and called a number of GOP congressional leaders to the platform.

One attendee reported that Trump said, “They’re lining up and begging.”

Presumptive competitors moved among the throng, receiving speaking engagements and leading panel discussions. The Republican mentioned Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida, and JD Vance of Ohio as some of the notable individuals.

The source claimed that Trump complimented Rubio specifically and made reference to a “Florida problem,” which is a constitutional mandate that prohibits the president and vice president from holding office in the same state as their homes.

When questioned about their prospects on the Sunday talk shows, Scott and Rubio both backed off.

Rubio avoided answering a question about whether he would be open to moving to another state in order to join the GOP ticket on “Fox News Sunday.”

Additionally present was House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, who strengthened Trump’s backing. Johnson oversaw one of the legal challenges against Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election; however, the speaker is currently in danger of being removed from office by far-right Republicans, headed by Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.

During his speech, Johnson stated that the United States requires a “strongman” in the White House, an attendee told the AP.

According to a person familiar with the speaker’s remarks, Johnson, who frequently discusses the need to return to the national security principle of “peace through strength,” outlined the need for a “strong, resolute” president during a period of global conflict. This person spoke under the condition of anonymity and was not authorized to discuss Johnson’s remarks in public.

Following the event, the Republican National Committee announced that the RNC and the campaign together had raised over $76 million in April, making it by far the best monthly fundraising total of this campaign cycle and a step closer to reducing Biden’s financial advantage. Although RNC Chairman Michael Whatley celebrated a rise in small-dollar contributions, it was evident from the Mar-a-Lago gathering that the party’s wealthiest members were the main target. According to an attendee, Trump once offered an open microphone to anyone who could immediately donate $1 million to the party. Eventually, two agreed, the source claimed.

The Times also revealed that Trump repeated his false allegations that systemic fraud permeates U.S. elections and informed his audience that Democrats successfully buy votes through economic safety net programs.

According to the Times, Trump stated, “Being a Democrat, you start off essentially at 40% because you have civil service, unions, and welfare.” Furthermore, don’t undervalue welfare. In addition to receiving welfare in order to cast a ballot, they also cheat.

Numerous recounts conducted in a number of battleground states confirmed Biden’s victory, and numerous state and federal courts—including judges he nominated to the bench—rejected Trump’s claims of fraud. Two more indictments center on Trump’s attempts to rig the election and his involvement in the riot on January 6th, which was organized by his supporters.

Trump is not the first Republican contender for president to make a covert connection between social programs and Democratic electoral success. At a fundraising event in 2012, Mitt Romney, the then-GOP nominee, was caught on camera saying that Barack Obama, a Democrat, had an inherent advantage because some people did not have to pay federal income taxes.

Romney stated, “My job is not to worry about those people.” He added, “There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president (Obama) no matter what” because they are “dependent upon government” and “believe that they are victims.” I will never be able to persuade them to take charge of their own lives and accept personal responsibility.”

With Biden serving as vice president, Obama’s campaign exploited those remarks to support Democratic claims that Romney, a wealthy businessman, was disconnected from the majority of Americans. Obama won reelection.