Ottawa County Commission Vice Chair Josh Brugger (R-Grand Haven) Compares President Trump To Hitler

 

Ottawa County Commission Vice Chair Josh Brugger

 By Brandon Hall 

(Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)

Josh Brugger, the Vice Chair of the Ottawa County Commission (and a Republican from Grand Haven), recently compared President Trump to Hitler.

His controversial statement was made after President Trump and Vice President JD Vance's famous showdown with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.

Brugger did not apologize when called out. 

Instead, he doubled down---defending his stunning remarks in a lengthy rant, basically claiming that people who disagreed were ignorant, and didn't know history.

"Brandon, You fail to understand the context of the post, and of history for that matter," Brugger said. "If I had actually said that President Trump was like Hitler or Mussolini or Stalin, you’d be absolutely right to call me out. That’s not what I said. I’m a Republican who has voted for President Trump. Being conservative or liberal has zilch to do with this. And, if you bothered to read the post that my post was made in response to, bothered to read the entire post, or bothered to read a history book, you would understand the significance of a 100 years of the United States standing against dictators, against fascism, against aggression of the nature we are now witnessing… 100 years of my fellow Americans standing courageously even to death, for democracy, for freedom, for self determination, for the sovereignty of nations; while standing alongside European nations who believe the same… presidents like Dwight Eisenhower (commander in chief of the allied forces in Europe, the first commander of NATO forces and one of the most popular presidents in the history of our nation) and especially Ronald Reagan whose strength, tenacity, devotion to democracy and free market capitalism, famously demanded that Gorbachev take down the Berlin Wall… and it was taken down, if you could grasp even a sliver of an understanding of history, then you would see clearly which side of the great divide our current president sits on. Further, for Brandon, the word “compare” has no place in this conversation. President Trump is no Wilhelm, Hitler, or Stalin. He is the President of the greatest democracy in history. Yet right now, on this matter, he has chosen to sit on their side of the table; against liberty, against democracy, against the free world. It is a tectonic shift; one that lady liberty and every past president of the United States who fought for freedom, for us and for our brothers and sisters throughout the world, regardless of party affiliation, would call out. We ought all to be doing the same. As for the card game that our president is playing with the lives of millions, the greatest trump card in any political hand, is the one that reads “Democracy”.

Grand Haven resident Ben Genser said that Brugger's long-winded defense just doesn't hold up.

"With all due respect, Josh, I appreciate the history lesson, but your argument falls apart under scrutiny," Genser said. "You claim you weren’t ‘comparing’ Trump to Hitler or Stalin, yet you placed him on the same side of a so-called ‘great divide’ with them. That’s not just a comparison—it’s an outright indictment, and a dangerous one at that.

The reality is that President Trump governed within the framework of the U.S. Constitution and strengthened American democracy, rather than undermining it. He prioritized American sovereignty, promoted free-market capitalism, supported our military, and stood as one of the strongest allies to Israel—a beacon of democracy in the Middle East. His administration’s actions, including brokering historic peace deals through the Abraham Accords, are a testament to that.

Throwing around reckless historical analogies does nothing to elevate the discussion. If we want to talk about America’s role in defending democracy, let’s do it based on facts—not partisan theatrics and misguided moral posturing."

Brugger can be reached at jbrugger@miottawa.org---but be nice :)

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com