Back in 2006, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, CNN reporter Susan Roesgen reveled in a leftist protester wearing a George W. Bush mask, complete with a colored-in Hitler-esque mustache and red horns attached to the forehead. Roesgen deemed him a Bush "look-alike."
Some mudslinging never changes. On Friday morning, CNN host Sara Sidner rewarded an anti-Trump protester who was arrested in California by giving him a forum to compare President Trump to Adolf Hitler.
Sidner set up the segment by recalling: "All right, a California city council meeting has sparked a national conversation after a former NFL player was arrested during an attempted protest over the implementation of a plaque at the Huntington Beach Central Library -- a plaque that spelled out 'MAGA.'"
Then came a clip of Chris Kluwe, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, at a podium speaking to the Huntington Beach city council and equating MAGA with racism: "MAGA stands for re-segregation and racism. MAGA stands for censorship and book bans. (editing jump) MAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy... (editing jump) I will now engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience."
After a clip of Kluwe approaching the council members and then being held down and arrested by police, Sidner brought him aboard as a guest. She began by suggesting that his complaints are a "small thing," leading him to complain about alleged book bans, and the CNN host sympathetically followed up:
SIDNER: I am very familiar with Huntington Beach. It is known for being a politically deep red spot in a mostly blue southern California, and they have had some policies that really raised some eyebrows, including the banning of books. You talked about the direct parallels that you see from the darkest times -- or at least one of the darkest times -- in world history, and you believe that we're on that path again. What is that path do you believe?
The liberal activist then made hyperbolic Nazi comparisons as he responded:
I believe we're on the path that Nazi Germany went down under Hitler. And I say that as a political science and history major -- as someone who has studied history -- and the parallels are there very clear. This administration is trying to erase trans people -- this administration is trying to put obedience over duty to the country. This administration is trying to thrust our country into turmoil in order to reap power for themselves.
And I think, regardless of political affiliation, all of us, as Americans, should be able to agree, "No kings, no tyrants -- not now, not ever." I cannot express how disgusting it was to see an official White House account put out a picture of an American President with a crown on his head. That goes against everything this country was founded upon.
After Sidner followed up by asking him to respond to the fact that Trump did, in fact, win the popular vote in the past election, she did not correct her liberal guest when he incorrectly claimed that Hitler was elected:
KLUWE: I say to them that Hitler was elected, too, and there were a lot of very good Germans who believed that Hitler was going to have their best interests in mind. And I think there are a lot of good Americans that think that Trump has their best interests in mind, but I am very confident that what this administration already shown that Trump does not have their best interests in mind. And I would like for those Americans to not live after all the bodies have dropped and be filled with regret because they failed to do the right thing when it was time to do the right thing.
In fact, Hitler was never elected to the German government. He lost the presidential election to Paul von Hindenburg 53 to 37 percent in 1932, and, after the Nazi party later won 37 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections, Hitler was appointed chancellor by the president who later resigned and left Hitler as the government's leader.
The segment concluded with Sidner and Kluwe discussing whether he will continue to protest at city council meetings.
Transcript follows:
CNN News Central
February 21, 2025
9:50 a.m. Eastern
SARA SIDNER: All right, a California city council meeting has sparked a national conversation after a former NFL player was arrested during an attempted protest over the implementation of a plaque at the Huntington Beach Central Library -- a plaque that spelled out "MAGA."
CHRIS KLUWE, PROTESTER SPEAKING AT CITY COUNCIL MEETING: MAGA stands for re-segregation and racism. MAGA stands for censorship and book bans. (editing jump) MAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy... (editing jump) I will now engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience.
UNIDENTIFIED VOICE: Get the heck -- get out.
SIDNER: With me now is the man you see in the video, former punter for the Minnesota Vikings, Chris Kluwe. Thank you so much for being here this morning, Chris. Um, look, the city council voting to put a plaque that they said was to honor the library's 50-year history that says, "magical, alluring, galvanizing, adventurous," which, of course, each capital letter of each word spelled out "MAGA." Seems to some like a small thing in the scheme of things. Why did you find it so important to protest this so fervently?
KLUWE: Because what's happening in Huntington Beach with our city council is a microcosm of what's happening with the country as a whole. This city council -- they do not care about their community. They've consistently shown that they don't care about community feedback. They're only in it to get more power for themselves and to push themselves higher into Trump's orbit. They welcome this national attention because for them it's a way to increase their own personal power. And, as a resident of this city -- as someone who loves books and loves reading, it is just beyond the pale what they're trying to do to this library because the plaque is only the latest in a series of events. They've tried to ban books at the library, they've tried to privatize the library, and it's become very, very clear they do not care what the community wants -- they only care about themselves.
SIDNER: I am very familiar with Huntington Beach. It is known for being a politically deep red spot in a mostly blue southern California, and they have had some policies that really raised some eyebrows, including the banning of books. You talked about the direct parallels that you see from the darkest times -- or at least one of the darkest times -- in world history, and you believe that we're on that path again. What is that path do you believe?
KLUWE: I believe we're on the path that Nazi Germany went down under Hitler. And I say that as a political science and history major -- as someone who has studied history -- and the parallels are there very clear. This administration is trying to erase trans people -- this administration is trying to put obedience over duty to the country. This administration is trying to thrust our country into turmoil in order to reap power for themselves. And I think, regardless of political affiliation, all of us, as Americans, should be able to agree, "No kings, no tyrants -- not now, not ever." I cannot express how disgusting it was to see an official White House account put out a picture of an American President with a crown on his head. That goes against everything this country was founded upon.
SIDNER: That's also after Donald Trump posted, "Long live the king," after stopping a policy here in New York. Look, there is this issue: The American public did vote for Donald Trump after all the things he said about being their retribution and about taking revenge -- about clearing out the federal government's so called "deep state," as he puts it, and the mass deportations. What do you say to Americans who say, "Yup, we voted for him -- we did it in large numbers -- he won the popular vote for the first time as well, knowing all these things"?
KLUWE: I say to them that Hitler was elected, too, and there were a lot of very good Germans who believed that Hitler was going to have their best interests in mind. And I think there are a lot of good Americans that think that Trump has their best interests in mind, but I am very confident that what this administration already shown that Trump does not have their best interests in mind. And I would like for those Americans to not live after all the bodies have dropped and be filled with regret because they failed to do the right thing when it was time to do the right thing.
SIDNER: Are you planning to continue doing these kinds of protests there at Huntington Beach and perhaps beyond?
KLUWE: I plan to keep showing up to the city council meetings unless they ban me. I don't know if that will be the case or not because our next city council meeting is about a week and a half from now. So we'll see what happens there. I definitely plan on speaking out on the issue because, as an American citizen, I care about my country. I want my country to be a place where everyone can have the same advantages that I had, and I have to use my privilege to make that the case.
SIDNER: Chris Kluwe, thank you so much for coming on this morning. I really appreciate you waking up bright and early because I know it's early there in California. Appreciate it.
