American best-selling author TC Boyle on what Trump has in common with Hitler, what he thinks of the AfD and why he keeps a pistol in his closet as retirement security.
This text is part of the series “Trump’s Revenge” in which our reporters investigate the question: What would happen if Donald Trump moved into the White House again? In this episode: Writer TC Boyle on his fears of another Trump victory.
Mr. Boyle, when Donald Trump was elected US President in 2016, you were shocked. Will he return to the White House in January 2025?
No, and yet we have to start here with a warning. I was almost always wrong with such predictions. In the meantime, I think we have to fight Trump until he gets hit by a school bus. After the last presidential election, I was convinced that the spook was over. I had longed for the day of his defeat. Trump seemed finished. I was wrong.
Have you underestimated Trump – or his supporters, who consider him to be the savior despite his lies, false promises and several ongoing criminal proceedings?
Both play a role. I’m currently reading historian Volker Ullrich’s biography of Hitler for the second time. A brilliant book. It describes the early stages of Hitler’s rise to power. It’s disturbing when you realize that there are uncanny parallels between Trump and Hitler.
