Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Apologizes for Comparing Donald Trump to Hitler and Calling His Supporters 'Cowards' and 'Outright Nazis'

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologized for comparing President-elect Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler in recently resurfaced comments.

Kennedy, who Trump previously nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services, faced backlash after audio recordings from his radio show resurfaced, wherein he called Trump's supporters "belligerent idiots," "outright Nazis," "cowards" and "bootlickers."

As Trump gained momentum during the 2016 GOP presidential primary, Kennedy repeatedly accused him of exploiting fear, bigotry and xenophobia to build a dangerous nationalist movement.

He warned that Trump's presidency would lead to environmental degradation and social unrest, drawing parallels between Trump and historical demagogues like Hitler and Mussolini.

In a specific episode, Kennedy criticized Trump for exacerbating racial tensions by stoking fear and resentment toward minority groups. He highlighted Trump's fear-based rhetoric targeting Muslims and Black people, emphasizing the divisive nature of his campaign.

“‘We may not have that many outright Nazis in America, but we have plenty of cowards and bootlickers, and once those fleshy dominoes start tumbling into the Trump camp, the game is up,’” Kennedy was quoted, reading a passage Matt Taibbi wrote.

“And, you know, he’s not like Hitler,” the former presidential candidate continued. “Hitler had like a plan, you know, Hitler was interested in policy. I don’t think Trump has any of that. He’s like non compos mentis. He’ll get in there, and who knows what will happen.”

Several critics of Trump and Kennedy took to social media to ridicule the potential new head of Health and Human Services for knowingly "making a deal with the devil."

One user shared the audio of RFK Jr.'s comments and wrote: "The bootlicker description didn't age too well for Kennedy. It describes him to a tee."

Another user commented: "It's ridiculous that so many in Trump's direct circle currently or previously have compared him to Hitler or said he’s disqualified."

A third person shared the audio along with a meme which read: "The worst person you know just made a great point."

In the same episode, Kennedy spoke about the “appeal” of segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace to “White middle-class men who had experienced the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s as a social demotion, and who found their lives in turmoil,” arguing “that kind of insecurity, I think, is the target of the summons that Donald Trump has sent out to the American public.”