Op-ed: U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan: Put freedom first this November

Like many Granite Staters, my parents instilled the importance of freedom in me at a young age. My dad, a World War II veteran who survived the Battle of the Bulge, would sometimes lean across the breakfast table and ask me and my siblings, “What are you doing for freedom today?”

Dad’s generation knew how precious freedom was and how, in places like Nazi Germany, freedom was easily lost. This election, I find myself thinking about dad’s question and how we will answer it. In my lifetime, presidential candidates from both parties have been committed to freedom, democracy, and our national security. But to return Donald Trump to power would mark a break from this bipartisan commitment.

Donald Trump says outrageous things on the campaign trail every day, but the last few weeks have underscored why we cannot forget that behind his bluster, Trump would be a uniquely unfit and dangerous president. In a recent interview, Trump called the January 6th attack on the Capitol a “day of love” and has continued to promise to pardon January 6 insurrectionists who assaulted police officers. His own former chief of staff, retired Marine General John Kelly, recently confirmed that as president, Trump repeatedly expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler, even saying that Hitler “did some good things.”

One of the most important things our country has ever done, thanks to the Greatest Generation, was help save the world from Hitler’s tyranny; we can’t have a president who admires him.

Trump’s comments praising Hitler are less surprising when we consider his longtime praise of Vladimir Putin. In a recent interview, Trump refused to blame Putin for invading Ukraine, instead effectively suggesting it was Ukraine’s fault. And Trump has previously made clear that America should appease Putin, give in to his demands, and let him conquer Ukraine. Look past Trump’s rhetoric and we get a clearer picture of who he is: a man who chooses power over freedom and who would weaken America by ignoring the lessons of history and trying to appease a conquering tyrant.

General Kelly also confirmed that Donald Trump called veterans “suckers” and “losers.” How can we have a Commander in Chief — the leader of the world’s greatest fighting force — who denigrates those who risk their lives for our freedom?

Some people suggest that we should ignore Trump’s words as mere hyperbole. But what’s striking to me is that many of the most urgent warnings about Trump come from people who were close to him. There’s a reason that senior national security leaders of Trump’s own administration, members of his former cabinet, and his own vice president refuse to support him this time. These are not Democratic partisans or liberal commentators, they’re Republicans who worked for Trump, who know him as a man who will always put himself first — ahead of our national security, the will of the people, and even our freedom.

I understand that some undecided voters reading this might hesitate to vote for a Democrat for president. But I urge you to consider how there’s nothing patriotic — or frankly, even conservative — about Trump’s praise for dictators or denigration of veterans. Could we imagine Ronald Reagan surrendering to Putin’s demands? Would Dwight Eisenhower praise Adolf Hitler? Could we imagine Abraham Lincoln inciting a mob to storm the Capitol? Or George Washington calling veterans “suckers” and “losers?” Of course not.

Even if you disagree with Vice President Harris on policies, know that she understands that it’s freedom that makes America great and that she would stand up to America’s adversaries — from the Kremlin to Tehran. She has promised to have a Republican in her cabinet. She would be a president for all Americans, not just the ones who agree with her.

This summer I had the privilege of visiting Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. I visited the cemetery and saw places like Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc, where American soldiers waded ashore under a storm of gunfire and scaled rocky cliffs. The Americans who served there came from different backgrounds — and held different political views — but they were united in the belief that freedom was worth fighting for. Surely, they did not defeat Hitler only to elect a man who says he admires him, and who considers them to be “suckers” and “losers” because they were willing to risk their lives for something bigger than themselves.

Let’s turn the page on Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans who love our country, and who know how much sacrifice it takes to keep America safe, secure, and free.