Former President Donald Trump has endorsed the re-election campaign of Republican Illinois Representative Mary Miller, a U.S. House member who quoted Nazi leader Adolf Hitler during a January 2021 speech.
During her speech at the January 4, 2021, Moms for America "Save the Republic" rally, Miller said, "Hitler was right on one thing. He said, 'Whoever has the youth has the future.' Our children are being propagandized. ... This is the battle."
After initially defending her comments, she later apologized for them.
In his endorsement of Miller, issued last Saturday, Trump wrote, "Congresswoman Mary Miller is doing a fantastic job representing the people of Illinois! Strong on Election Security, the Second Amendment, and our Military and Vets, Mary is a champion of our America First agenda."
"She fights hard against Joe Biden's open borders, runaway inflation, and the radical indoctrination of our children," Trump's endorsement continued. "Mary has my Complete and Total Endorsement!"
Miller will run against Republican Representative Rodney Davis, a five-term incumbent representing Illinois' 15th Congressional District. The two will both run in the June 28 Republican primary.
In accepting Trump's endorsement, Miller wrote, "Conservative voters who stand with [former] President Trump deserve a Pro-Second Amendment, Pro-Life, America First voice in Congress."
"With hard work, prayer, and faith in our country, conservatives will take back the House and Make America Great Again," she added.
Miller is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a Trump-supporting caucus that includes some of the House's most far-right Republican representatives. The caucus includes Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene, Colorado's Lauren Boebert, Florida's Matt Gaetz and North Carolina's Madison Cawthorn.
Miller and other caucus members voted against the certification of Democratic President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. They have called for Biden's impeachment over his handling of border security issues. They've also called for the firing of infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci for his handling of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Miller, like her fellow caucus members, has opposed the January 6 committee as a "political witch hunt" to attack Trump. She has also tried to stop Biden's mandate requiring business employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
After Miller's Hitler comment she faced calls to apologize or resign from Davis, Democratic Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Legislative Jewish Caucus and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Miller initially defended her comments. She said she meant them as "a denunciation of evil dictators' efforts to re-educate young people and similar efforts by left-wing radicals in our country today."
"Some are trying to intentionally twist my words to mean something antithetical to my beliefs," she added, noting that she supports Israel and is not antisemitic.
However, by Jan. 8, 2021, she apologized for her comments.
"I sincerely apologize for any harm my words caused and regret using a reference to one of the most evil dictators in history to illustrate the dangers that outside influences can have on our youth," she said. "This dark history should never be repeated and parents should be proactive to instill what is good, true, right, and noble into their children's hearts and minds."
Despite Trump's endorsement of her, Miller's political opponent also has large Republican support in his own state. In his own district, 32 of the 35 Republican county chairs have endorsed him. So have two fellow Illinois Republican congressional colleagues, Darin LaHood and Mike Bost, as well as over a dozen Republican state lawmakers, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Davis also has been a strong supporter of Trump and co-chaired his 2020 re-election campaign in Illinois.
Correction 01/07/2022, 11:42 a.m. ET: This article was corrected to reflect the district in which Rodney Davis and Mary Miller reside.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
