The statement came in a private meeting with Republican financial backers at Trump’s Florida residence in Mar-a-Lago.
The conversation was recorded by someone present, and the New York Times and Washington Post are among the media that have got hold of the recording.
– These people run a Gestapo administration, Trump says in the recording, according to the media.
The Gestapo was the secret state police in Nazi Germany, which worked to combat opponents of the regime. The Gestapo’s work was also aimed at tracking down Jews during the Holocaust.
Republican and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum was present during the meeting at Mar-a-Lago. He confirms Trump’s statements to CNN, but believes they have been blown out of proportion.
– This was a short comment deep inside something that was not really central to what he was talking about, says Burgum.
He puts the comment in the context of the frequent witch-hunt accusations from Trump against the Biden administration and says the majority of Americans believe the ongoing trial against Trump is politically motivated.
– And that’s the only thing they have. And that’s the only way they think they’re going to win, and it’s killing them. But it doesn’t bother me, Trump is said to have said in the conversation.
