John Cleese Goes Viral for Comparing Donald Trump to Hitler

Monty Python actor John Cleese has once again sparked a heated debate on social media after comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.

The comedian, 84, who is known for his outspoken views took to X, formerly Twitter, to share a list compiling how the Nazi leader was "preferable" to former President Trump. The post has gone viral, with almost 900,000 views.

He listed five reasons, including that Hitler "fought for his country," "never used a teleprompter," "was nice to dogs," "wrote his own books," "never played golf," and finally, "wasn't a big fat slob."

Cleese listed only two reasons as to why "Trump is preferable to Hitler," including that "he doesn't practice genocide" and "he has nicer hair."

Newsweek has contacted Trump's representatives by email for comment.

The comparison sparked a heated dialogue on X, including Cleese himself clapping back at critics.

"It seems like you're saying that you prefer Hitler to Trump, fyi," replied one person.

But another pointed out Cleese's penchant for boundary-pushing humor, writing, "Guys. John is a comedian. This is meant to be a joke."

When one person told Cleese, "Don't worry, I took a screenshot for when you inevitably delete this," the veteran actor replied, "Don't hold your breath. Receiving insults from the literal-minded is like being booed by a flock of sheep."

Then when someone asked him if he preferred Hitler to Trump, Cleese told them, "I should have thought that was obvious to any idiot. If not to anyone else..."

Some people questioned why Cleese would even write such a post, and he even had an answer for that.

"Because I've never tried to amuse the simple-minded. There are plenty of comics who do, and you will enjoy them," he wrote on X.

But prior to sparring with his critics on social media, Cleese had issued an apology for the controversial post.

"I would like to apologise for my last tweet. It was a very bad joke, especially on Boxing Day," he wrote.

The comedian has described himself as an "old-fashioned liberal," despite taking on a role at the conservative-leaning GB Network in the U.K.

Even though Cleese was adamant the TV network was not "right-wing," he felt sure he would not be offered a show on the U.K.'s public broadcaster, the BBC, without getting censored.

"I was approached and I didn't know who they were[...]And then I met one or two of the [GB News] people concerned and had dinner with them, and I liked them very much. And what they said was: 'People say it's the right-wing channel—it's a free-speech channel,'" Cleese told BBC Radio 4 in October 2022

He added: "The BBC have not come to me and said: 'Would you like to have some 1-hour shows?' And if they did, I would say: 'Not on your nelly!' Because I wouldn't get five minutes into the first show before I'd been canceled or censored."