The Trump campaign on Thursday hit back at President Biden, accusing him of hypocrisy after it was revealed that staffers working on his campaign and at the White House privately refer to former President Donald Trump as “Hitler Pig” in communications.
“Joe Biden talks a lot about decency, but he and his staff don’t have a decent bone in their bodies. These ridiculous and gross comments reflect the failure and dishonesty of the entire Biden operation,” senior Trump campaign adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement.
The criticism comes after Politico reported that White House staffers began using the “Hitler Pig” nickname in 2022 after Mr. Trump dined with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida before Thanksgiving.
The Biden team members typically use the nickname when Mr. Trump makes an outrageous comment or invokes the rhetoric of Adolf Hitler, Politico reported. It is generally deployed by younger, more digitally active individuals instead of senior staffers.
Aides will often share clips of Mr. Trump with comments or say to colleagues, “Hey, did you see what Hitler Pig said?”
The Trump campaign says the criticism contradicts Mr. Biden’s pledge to make sure staffers treat others with dignity and respect.
On his first day in office, Mr. Biden warned staffers to treat everyone with respect, or else he’d fire them on the spot, telling them “decency and dignity” had disappeared under Mr. Trump.
“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot,” he said. “On the spot. No ‘ifs’ or ‘buts.’”
Mr. Biden frequently says he ran for president to “restore the soul of America.” In September 2022, he defined it as “decency, honor, meaning what you say, literally treating people with some respect.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment. An administration official who spoke to The Washington Times on background declined to confirm if the nickname is used but noted that Mr. Trump is not a staffer or colleague, disputing the Biden hypocrisy claims.
The “Hitler Pig” insult resurfaced this week following reports that Mr. Trump fell asleep in court during his hush money trial in New York. Email and text messages among the White House, campaign aides and other Democrats close to the administration used the nickname while discussing Mr. Trump’s alleged sleepiness.
“Hitler Pig sleepy,” one individual wrote in a thread about Mr. Trump’s trial.
Some on social media criticized the Biden staffers for the nickname, saying it’s a poor reflection on the White House staffers.
“White House nickname for Trump is ‘Hitler Pig.’ How humorless and pathetic is that?” Marc Thiessen, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, posted on X.
“[Politico] thinks this is funny it’s actually more a representation of what a rag they’ve become and the level of s—- that works in the White House ‘Hitler Pig,’” wrote Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita on X.
Mr. Trump has a history of creating nicknames to mock political opponents. He has referred to Mr. Biden as “Sleepy Joe,” Sen. Marco Rubio as “Little Marco,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as “Crazy Nancy,” and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as “Birdbrain.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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