If she could change any one event in all of world history — including possibly going back in time to thwart genocidal dictators — former Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester would choose to ensure Donald Trump lost the 2016 presidential election.
The 30-year-old actress — set to play Paul Revere’s daughter in the upcoming Fox series Making History — made the claim in an interview with Yahoo! Style to promote the show.
“Like, if I could snap my fingers? Trump would not be elected. That’s all,” Meester told the outlet.
The actress noted that she may have opted to change an altogether different historic event had Trump not won the presidency in November.
“As of right now, I feel that way,” she said. “Before Trump, I would have said that Hitler was never born. Humans are so f*cked up.”
Meester wasn’t particularly politically outspoken during the 2016 presidential campaign. But in a recent interview with beauty outlet Byrdie, the actress described the atmosphere in post-election America as “crazy” and said she found it “challenging” to constantly tune in to the news.
The actress added that issues of sexism and climate change continue to plague the country.
“I’m not saying we should take these issues for granted. But I think what can’t be as easily defended is the environment, and people are doing irreparable damage,” she said. “It’s pretty unbelievable that there are people out there who don’t think so. They just ignore the facts, and that’s pretty scary. Four years: Maybe we don’t have that long.”
The actress — who played socialite Blair Waldorf in the popular Gossip Girl television series — is hardly the only star to compare Trump to Nazi leader Hitler. Numerous celebrities, including John Legend, Bill Maher, Louis C.K., Eva Longoria and Cher, to name just a few, have all made the comparison. So have news outlets like the Washington Post.
Adolf Hitler oversaw the slaughter of six million Jews, as well as the murders of millions of others, including Polish, Serbian, and Russian political prisoners; the mentally and physically handicapped (who often underwent forced sterilization); gypsies, and gay people in concentration camps across Europe during World War II. The Nazi Holocaust of Europe’s Jews — who were singled out for destruction — is considered the most infamous genocide in modern history. Hitler’s victims were gassed to death, forced on so-called “death marches,” lined up to be shot in firing lines, and had their remains burned in crematoriums. Others starved to death or died from illnesses and diseases spread throughout the camps.
Trump was elected president on November 8, 2016, and it was not immediately clear which of his policies could be reasonably compared to the death and destruction wrought by Hitler.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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