A majority of Republican voters in Iowa believe the pursuit of former President Donald Trump by the FBI and the Department of Justice smacks of Nazi rule in 1930s Germany, according to a new poll for DailyMail.com.
Some 57 percent of respondents said they agreed with the statement: ‘The lawlessness of the persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.’
It comes after months of attacks on the FBI and the Department of Justice by Trump and his allies, who say he is the victim of an attempt to end his presidential campaign.
He was indicted for the third time last week, on four charges related to his efforts to hold on to power after the 2020 election.
He denied all the allegations and his campaign issued a blistering response, drawing on the darkest days of 20th century history.
‘The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes,’ it said on the Truth Social platform.
The comparison was quickly condemned as offensive and inaccurate by Jewish groups.
But the poll conducted by J.L. Partners in the immediate aftermath of the indictment shows how the parallel resonates with Republicans in Iowa, who will have a crucial say in selecting the party’s 2024 nomination. It is the first state to pick its preferred candidate next year, and the currents of public opinion will be watched closely until then.
The survey of 600 likely Republican caucus-goers in Iowa was conducted from April 1 to 7. The results carry a margin of error of +/- four percent.
Only 28 percent disagreed with the comparison, driven largely by supporters of Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator. Half of his supporters said they did not agree with the Trump campaign statement.
However, some 73 percent of Trump’s own supporters said they agreed with the statement.
James Johnson, co-founder of Republican polling firm J.L. Partners, said: ‘We have seen Republicans say Trump is being pursued unfairly, and people agree that the series of indictments are a “witch hunt.”
‘This poll shows that goes even further: Republicans also think the Department of Justice is acting in the same way that the Nazis did in the 1930s.
‘However shocking that may sound, this is another statistic in a long line of others that demonstrates the loyalty of many of Trump’s voters — and how the indictments have only emboldened their support rather than undermined it.
‘But though caucus and primary voters might think it, Trump will ultimately need to win the public at large.’
He added that those voters — especially independents — are much more likely to see each indictment as confirming their worst fears.
The latest federal case accuses Trump of three conspiracies: Conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against people’s rights.
It follows a case in New York related to a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
