Two WWII Lessons Trump Will Learn the Hard Way

On June 14th, 2025, Donald Trump’s pathetic attempt at a military parade was met with deafening silence. Virtually no one showed up to watch his desperate show of power. Meanwhile, millions of Americans flooded the streets in cities across the country to protest the GOP’s authoritarian power grab. At the protest I attended, only a handful of miserable incels showed up. One even blasted Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival — clearly unaware the song is a protest anthem against people like Trump: wealthy, entitled, draft-dodging frauds. The irony was as thick as the ignorance.

Last week, Trump crossed yet another line by deploying U.S. military forces in California. This wasn’t governance — it was a tantrum. A dangerous, fascist tantrum. When he doesn’t get his way, Trump lashes out, using intimidation, force, and chaos as his tools. Let’s be clear: this is no longer politics. Trump has declared war on the American people.

But history has a funny way of humbling tyrants. And there are two critical lessons Trump is about to learn from World War II.

Lesson One: Hitler Was a Loser — and So Are His Fans

The GOP’s embrace of white nationalism, authoritarianism, and outright fascism is not some far-fetched accusation — it’s their own rhetoric. From the Proud Boys to the KKK to MAGA militias, many openly identify with Neo-Nazi ideology. Trump’s own father was arrested at a Klan rally. ICE operates like a modern-day Gestapo, terrorizing immigrant communities. Now, the U.S. military is being used domestically in ways eerily reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

But here’s the thing they always forget: Hitler lost. And he didn’t go down fighting. When it was clear the Allies would win, Hitler took the coward’s way out — he killed himself rather than face justice. He wasn’t brave. He wasn’t strong. He was a failure who dragged his country into ruin.

Despite popular myths, the Nazis were never the majority. Only about 30% of Germany supported them when they seized power — strikingly similar to the minority that supports Trump today. The Nazi regime collapsed, leaving a broken, divided Germany and a legacy of shame.

That is the fate awaiting Trump and his enablers. The more they cling to their violent fantasies and try to impose their will through force, the harder they will fall. They are not leaders — they are cowards glorifying another coward. And history does not remember cowards fondly.

Lesson Two: Americans Do Not Surrender

On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, hoping to cripple the U.S. Pacific Fleet and force a quick surrender. They miscalculated. Badly. Even if every ship in the harbor had been destroyed, America would have never surrendered — because we do not surrender.

Yes, that stubbornness is sometimes toxic. American culture is known for brash individualism and overconfidence — we’re the “cowboys” of the world stage. But that same rebellious spirit fuels our resistance. We don’t fold. We fight.

That same spirit was alive on June 14, 2025 — the day Trump’s parade fizzled into nothing. That same day, Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were brutally murdered, and Senator John Hoffman and his wife were nearly killed in a politically motivated attack undoubtedly caused by Trump. The killer remains at large. But the people of Minnesota did not hide. They marched. They raised their voices. They honored the fallen by refusing to be intimidated.

Trump’s violence — and the violence he incites — will never silence us. Military force won’t silence us. Murder won’t silence us. We do not back down from bullies, no matter how powerful they pretend to be.

A Flag, A Bridge, A Symbol

I want to take a moment to honor a woman I saw at the protest. When a MAGA goon arrived — blaring Fortunate Son and Bodies by Drowning Pool in a clear attempt to provoke and intimidate and blast his stupidity— she stood her ground. She blocked him from crossing the bridge, holding her flag high and steady until he turned tail and left. Her courage protected the speakers and the crowd. Her presence kept the event safe. She is a hero.

And she is not alone.

She represents all of us who refuse to be silenced. All of us who are standing up, speaking out, and pushing back against this growing darkness. We are not alone. We are millions strong.

We will not be broken. We will not be silenced. We will not surrender.

Just like those who fought fascism in the past, we will resist — and we will win.