Thomas Watkins is Washington bureau chief at The National
December 18, 2023
On Monday morning, I had the displeasure of reading parts of the English translation of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf to see if Donald Trump really is taking a page out of the 1925 Nazi manifesto.
The former US president – and runaway favourite to become the Republican nominee in 2024 – spent the weekend honing his strongman rhetoric and drawing comparisons to the German dictator.
He told supporters that undocumented immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and warned that they are “coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world.”
Forget about a racist dogwhistle. Mr Trump was literally yelling his views into a microphone. In case anyone was in any doubt, he later posted his comment on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Donald Trump's Truth Social post on December 18, 2023. Photo: Truth Social
“The crime is going to be tremendous, the terrorism is going to be [too],” he told thousands of cheering supporters at a campaign rally in Durham, New Hampshire.
Mr Trump made similar remarks on Veterans' Day last month, when he also pledged to “root out the communists, Marxist fascists and the radical thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country".
President Joe Biden said at the time that such remarks echo “language you heard in Nazi Germany in the '30s”. Several commentators made new comparisons to Hitler after Mr Trump's weekend remarks.
Hitler wrote his racist and anti-Semitic screed while in prison for a failed coup in Munich in 1923. Here's what he had to say about Jewish people:
“Look at the ravages from which our people are suffering daily as a result of being contaminated with Jewish blood,” wrote the future Nazi leader who oversaw the Holocaust.
He also wrote more broadly of “the poison of foreign races” that was “eating into the body of our people”, and had plenty to say about the “plague” of Marxism.
Mr Trump's comments at the weekend drew predictable howls of outrage from his opponents, with Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who is also seeking the Republican nomination, calling them “disgusting”.
Pramila Jayapal, a progressive Democratic congresswoman, said his words were “dehumanising and fascist”.
Hitler also hated the very notion of democracy, something else that Mr Trump, who refuses to admit he lost the 2020 election, struggles with.
Here's the thing, though: Just as Mr Trump embraces extremist rhetoric, many of his supporters appear to as well.
According to a new poll by the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa, conservatives in Iowa, where the first Republican caucus of the 2024 presidential race will be held on January 15, Mr Trump's recent statements actually make them more likely to vote for him.
“I don’t care what he tweets,” one poll respondent said, according to the Register.
“It’s a little off the wall, but you know? A lot of them do stuff like that,” she added, noting that she was backing Mr Trump for his policy agenda.
His supporters also appear to have shrugged off comments Mr Trump made this month when he said he would not be a dictator – with the notable exception of his first day in office.
His supporters, always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, said he was merely trolling his rivals and members of the hyper-sensitive liberal press.
The big question for Mr Trump then is how much any of this Nazi-esque banter can help him beyond the confines of his base.
He already lost the popular vote in 2016 and 2020, and his party underperformed at the 2022 midterms.
Mr Biden is taking a hammering in the polls and the Democrats are very skilled at losing control of the political narrative and touting the President's record.
Instead of capitalising on this by reaching out to swing voters and demographics beyond his base, Mr Trump seems determined to double down on his losing formula.
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
