During his latest event in Wisconsin, Donald Trump apparently wanted to hold an outdoor event, but for security reasons, he had to move the rally indoors. This, naturally, led the former president to whine for a while about the tens of thousands of people — his estimate, not mine — who wouldn’t be able to see his remarks in person.
As part of the Republican’s complaint, he added that he saw an incredible line of people. “It looked like when Lindbergh landed in New York,” Trump said to laughter. “Do you remember that? He had, all the way to Broadway, the way they used to do it.”
Trump: But outside, we have thousands and thousands of people. 40 to 50,000 people at least out there.. It looked like when Lindbergh landed in New York., Do you remember that? Thousands of people.. they’re probably leaving and walking home pic.twitter.com/gFG8T4gq6T
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 28, 2024
To describe throngs of people, the GOP candidate could’ve chosen from countless modern examples of large American crowds. But he instead referenced aviator Charles Lindbergh landing in New York in 1927 — nearly two decades before Trump was born.
All things considered, perhaps he should’ve picked a better example. For those unfamiliar with Lindbergh’s political beliefs, consider this Washington Post report published in 2016 and again in 2017.
The most prominent of [Franklin Roosevelt’s] opponents were the founders of the America First Committee, formed in September 1940. The committee opposed fighting Nazism and proposed a well-armed America confined largely to the Western hemisphere. It soon afterward adopted the noted aviator and enthusiast of fascism Charles Lindbergh as their favored speaker. Lindbergh accepted a medal from Herman Goering “in the name of the Fuehrer” during a visit to Germany in 1938, and “proudly wore the decoration.”
Around the same time, The Los Angeles Times noted that the America First Committee “was marred by anti-Semitic and pro-fascist rhetoric. Its highest profile spokesman, Charles Lindbergh, blamed American Jews for pushing the country into war.” Indeed, it was in September 1941 when Lindbergh appeared in Iowa and said, “[T]he three most important groups which have been pressing this country toward war, are the British, the Jewish, and the Roosevelt Administration.” Perhaps, given the broader circumstances, Trump would be better off avoiding Lindbergh references?
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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