The punditry has been all atwitter, if you will, about former President Trump talking about immigrants poisoning the national blood. Here’s Steve Benen:
The former president spoke a few hours ago with Hugh Hewitt, a prominent conservative host, who noted the “critics” are drawing parallels between Trump’s rhetoric about immigrants “poisoning the blood” of the United States, and Hitler using comparable language about Germany. “Do you have anything like that in mind when you say ‘poisoning our blood’?” Hewitt asked.
“No, and I never knew that Hitler said it, either, by the way,” Trump replied, before quickly adding that he never read “Mein Kampf.”
It may be true that Hitler said something similar – but it ignores a simple genetic truth:
Inbreeding is bad for the health, physically or metaphorically, of both families and societies. Just consider the lessons of the Western monarchies, which, at their worst, indulged in intra-family marriages and breeding in order to “conserve” the blood. Did this work? No. The Habsburgs are a prime example, with their hold on power extinguished by intellectually incompetent family members inheriting their royal privilege and power, and fumbling it away – or, at best, dying without issue. The failings of “pure blood” are well-known; indeed, farmers will put their hands up and talk about it.
I suspect a competent historian could make a similar argument about the internal social dynamics of monarchical families afflicted with blood paranoia.
So these pundits are missing a real opportunity to bang Trump’s head into the traditional wall on this issue; indeed, they’re following his lead, as Hitler is often a losing issue.
But put up a picture of a Habsburg and the terrible performance of the later generations, and then ask Trump why he wants to condemn the United States to that.
