Republican House Candidate Carl Paladino Praises Hitler’s Leadership

Carl Paladino, a Republican House candidate from New York, is facing controversy after remarks he made in 2021 surfaced.

The uncovered audio shows the candidate remarking Hitler was “the kind of leader we need right now.”

The audio was found by Media Matters for America, a liberal advocacy group.

In the audio, Paladino spoke about Hitler’s populist appeal and the energy he would bring to crowds, praising Hitler as a great orator.

“I was thinking the other day about somebody had mentioned on the radio Adolf Hitler and how he aroused the crowds. And he would get up there screaming these epithets and these people were just — they were hypnotized by him,” Paladino said. “I guess, I guess that’s the kind of leader we need today. We need somebody inspirational. We need somebody that is a doer, has been there and done it.”

Paladino has come under fire after claiming on Twitter that the shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas were “false flag” operations that were created by the government.

Paladino is endorsed by Elise Stefanik (R-New York), the number three in the GOP House leadership.

In response to the backlash, Paladino came out with a statement explaining his remarks.

“Any implication that I support Hitler or any of the sick and disgusting actions of the Nazi regime is a new low for the media,” Paladino wrote. “The context of my statement was in regards to something I heard on the radio from someone else and was repeating, I understand that invoking Hitler in any context is a serious mistake and rightfully upsets people. I strongly condemn the murderous atrocities committed against the Jewish people by Hitler and the Nazis.”