On Saturday, former Hardball host Chris Matthews returned to his old network, now under its Versant name of MS NOW, to compare President Trump to past European dictators because of several Trump-designed Washington, D.C., construction projects. Matthews declared he “can’t accuse anybody of being Hitler” before he then compared Trump to former Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
The conversation on Alex Witt Reports was based on more media obsession with the Kennedy Center, as host Alex Witt asked, “How do you view the slew of vanity projects driven by the president, including his efforts to attach his name in one way or the other to the Kennedy Center?”
Matthews responded and acted as if he was better than comparing Trump to Hitler: ”Well, you know, we can't accuse anybody of being Hitler because there's only one Hitler, fortunately. There's only one guy that killed all the people and created a war that cost the lives of 50 million people. Not just the holocaust. That war everywhere.”
On Saturday, former Hardball host Chris Matthews, talking about new possible monument projects around DC, said one cannot compare Trump to Hitler, but instead said: “I think he is Mussolini." pic.twitter.com/ySC4z73uGy
— Nick (@nspin310) August 31, 2026
However, Matthews has made many comparisons of conservative politicians to Hitler over the years, including last year when he compared Trump immigration policies to the Holocaust.
After he sounded sane when he explained how it was plain stupid to compare Trump to someone who directed the Holocaust and started World War II, he moved to compare Trump to a different dictator: "But I think he is Mussolini. I think he loves having big tributes, pretty uniforms, monuments to himself."
In contrast with his point of Hitler’s involvement with WWII, Mussolini-led Italy assisted Hitler’s Nazi Germany during WWII.
Matthews then moved on to talk of a possible construction of an Arc de Triomphe-like monument near Arlington Cemetery: “He's going to put an arch, an Arc de Triomphe like there that you can't even see the Custis Lee mansion, the mansion where Robert E Lee lived. We can't be able to see the eternal flame. Who wants that?”
He continued, as he tried to figure out what word of the five Ws he wanted to use: “Who wants that? And by the way, what victory have we had under Trump? What - Where are we - Why are we having an arch or an Arc de Triomphe when we haven't had any triumphs? I mean, it's absurd, and it's frightening because it's going to detract from the look of the city.”
Matthews later feared the Trump construction projects could not all be gotten rid of after his presidency ends:
I know the next president will put the name John F Kennedy back on the Kennedy Center. That will happen pretty easily. They're not gonna be able to get rid of this ballroom. I don't see anybody getting rid of that when they come in office. But the Kennedy Center will be restored to performers and live entertainment. The people come back again. We'll get over Trump there.
Matthews added, “But I do worry about these monuments to Trump. They're awful,” before he asked Witt, “Nobody wants to build monuments, do they? Does anybody out there say, Let's build an Arc de Triomphe?” Witt responded, “I haven’t heard it."
He then asked, “Oh, by the way, had any triumphs?” Witt laughed and said, “No. Good point.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
MS NOW’s Alex Witt Reports
August 29, 2026
2:23:21 PM Eastern
(...)
ALEX WITT: But anyway, let me ask you, this is going to sound superficial, but - as compared to what you just said - how do you view, rather that, the slew of vanity projects driven by the president, including his efforts to attach his name in one way or the other to the Kennedy Center?
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Yeah. Well, you know, we can't accuse anybody of being Hitler because there's only one Hitler, fortunately. There's only one guy that killed all the people and created a war that cost the lives of 50 million people. Not just the holocaust. That war everywhere.
But I think he is Mussolini. I think he loves having big tributes, pretty uniforms, monuments to himself. I, you know, I've lived in Washington for so many years. And when I drive along the Potomac River, when I come home at night from something, I always looked across the river to the eternal flame for John F Kennedy at Arlington, at the Arlington cemetery. And I always looked and was very happy when I could see it, because it reminded me of what we've come through our legacy in this country.
He's going to put an arch, an Arc de Triomphe like there that you can't even see the Custis Lee mansion, the mansion where Robert E Lee lived. We can't be able to see the eternal flame. Who wants that? And by the way, what victory have we had under Trump? What - Where are we - Why are we having an arch or an Arc de Triomphe when we haven't had any triumphs? I mean, it's absurd and it's frightening because it's going to detract from the look of the city.
I know the next president will put the name John F Kennedy back on the Kennedy Center. That will happen pretty easily. They're not gonna be able to get rid of this ballroom. I don't see anybody getting rid of that when they come in office. But the Kennedy Center will be restored to performers and live entertainment. The people come back again. We'll get over Trump there.
But I do worry about these monuments to Trump. They're awful.
Nobody wants to build monuments, do they? Does anybody out there say, “Let's build an Arc de Triomphe?”
WITT: I haven’t heard it.
MATTHEWS: Oh, by the way, had any triumphs?
WITT: No. [Laughs] Good point.
(...)
