There are a few historical comparisons that sting more than any others, and the Ku Klux Klan is easily near the top of that list. It rests right alongside Hitler and Mussolini as the most damning parallels that can be drawn between an individual and a historical group or figure, and Donald Trump has now seen himself associated with each in one way or another.
Comparisons to Hitler have haunted the 77-year-old former president for years now, as have links between his political aims and those of infamous Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. He’s seen plenty of comparisons to the KKK over the years as well, as people weigh Trump’s statements, policies, and ideals against the age-old hate group, but now those links are taking on new light as Trump faces a Congressional act crafted to combat the white supremacist group.
That act was penned in 1871 as a means to prevent the continued political violence of the KKK, and in hopes of protecting citizens from intimidation and pressure from hate groups and terrorist organizations. It was intended to help protect the voting rights of African American citizens, and this isn’t the first time its been levied against Donald Trump.
Trump’s seen the act crop up in complaints against him before, but the latest could spell his undoing. The Ku Klux Klan Act was first named in a 2020 lawsuit against the former president, and saw American voters accuse Trump and his cronies of a “coordinated conspiracy to disenfranchise Black voters.” It was cited again in 2021, and now Trump’s behavior is once again seeing him linked to America’s most infamous hate group.
The latest use of the KKK Act is linked to civil lawsuits aimed against Trump’s action on Jan. 6, 2021. The Reconstruction-era policy actually suits Trump’s situation perfectly, as it prohibits any aims to “prevent, by force, intimidation, or threat, any person from accepting or holding any office, trust, or place of confidence under the United States.” Which is exactly what several lawsuits are trying to prove Trump did back in 2020 and 2021.
Trump’s been linked to a huge number of damaging things in the past, and none of them have been enough to take the man down. Its not likely that his links to the KKK Act will be enough either — but the massive amount of money he owes could be. Trump currently owes hundreds of million of dollars, after being ordered to pay $354.9 million in his most recent civil fraud loss — which comes out to $453.5 million after interest — added to the $88.3 million he already owed following those E. Jean Carroll losses. That totals out to more than $500 million in total, and even Trump will have a hard time finding pockets that deep.
Published: Feb 20, 2024 01:31 pm