Former GOP governor says she stands by since-deleted tweet saying Hitler ‘has nothing’ on Trump

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman (R) said she stands by her since-deleted tweet comparing President Trump to Adolf Hitler.

Whitman, an outspoken critic of Trump, tweeted on Tuesday that Hitler “has nothing” on Trump, though she quickly removed the post, according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}In an interview with NBC 4 New York, Whitman said she stands by the message, but felt the comparison was “inflammatory.”

“Hitler took a long time to get where he was and he had to do a lot of other things. Trump is going much faster. We are going down a dark hole and I really worry for the country,” Whitman told the news outlet.

Whitman added that she hoped the shock value of the tweet would make people think about why she made the reference.

“Hitler … wanted was unadulterated adulation. I think our president wants unadulterated adulation and he doesn’t stand for anyone who was going to question that,” she said.

Whitman’s post was in response to a New York Times report that a video depicting Trump brutally killing media outlets and personalities as well as political opponents was played at a conservative conference held at his Miami golf resort.

Whitman included a link to the Times story in her deleted post, and shared a follow-up tweet with the link.

“This video, played @ the president’s resort, is the stuff of dictators. The US is a land of discourse with those who disagree, not violent destruction of opponents in a church,” Whitman wrote in the later tweet.

This video, played @ the president’s resort, is the stuff of dictators. The US is a land of discourse with those who disagree, not violent destruction of opponents in a church. #Trump & his defenders should be ashamed. What is America becoming? #TrumpVideo https://t.co/LFXd8cpKtX

— Gov Christie Whitman (@GovCTW) October 15, 2019

The video was widely condemned by lawmakers, media groups and the White House.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeted earlier this week Trump had not yet seen the video, “but based upon everything he has heard, he strongly condemns this video.”