By The American Tribune | Created at 2026-09-26 10:26:22 | Updated at 2026-09-26 11:32:23
1 hour ago
Bill Nye invoked Adolf Hitler while warning that people can win power through elections and become tyrants, an apparent shot at President Donald Trump. The former television host made the remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative after joking that speaking his mind could end his career. He told the audience to consider what has gone wrong throughout history.
The comments came during an appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative, the event associated with former President Bill Clinton. Nye has spent years publicly disputing Trump’s positions on climate change and federal science spending. His latest remarks, captured in a short video shared by Fox News, moved from those policies to a warning about political power. The exchange began with Nye seeming to brace himself for the response.
“Okay, this is going to end my career, which should be fine. All right, but keep in mind the stuff that has gone wrong historically,” Nye said. He continued, “These people come to power and become tyrants and weird because they got voted.” Nye turned to the different ways leaders can take office. He stumbled briefly over his next sentence before contrasting an election with a military coup.
“Once in a while, there’s a voted in. Once in a while, there’s a military coup or junta or whatever, but Hitler was voted in in a democratic process, and just keep that in mind,” Nye said. As OK! Magazine reported, he didn’t name Trump directly in that passage, but the setting and Nye’s record of criticizing the president made the implication clear. His warning focused on the idea that an election can put a dangerous leader in a position to exercise power.
Nye’s description of Hitler’s rise skips a significant step. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum explains that German President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor on January 30th, 1933; Hitler didn’t win a direct election for that office. The Nazi Party had received more votes than any other party in Germany’s 1932 parliamentary elections, but it hadn’t won a majority. Its electoral strength helped lead to Hitler’s appointment, after which the Nazis dismantled German democracy.
Nye has criticized Trump more directly in the past. In a 2019 PBS Firing Line interview, he was asked how he would debate Trump after the president mocked global warming during a cold spell. Nye replied that Trump’s mind “changes quite frequently” and suggested that the last person to speak with him held considerable influence. He said he would ask Trump to speak with his daughter about climate change.
Watch Nye’s Clinton Global Initiative remarks here:
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Bill Nye takes a not-so-subtle shot at President Trump, comparing his election victories to Hitler’s rise to power.
Nye says “this is going to end my career” before talking about people who “come to power and become tyrants and weird.”
The Science Guy invokes Adolf Hitler as a… pic.twitter.com/smThZJocLs
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 23, 2026
Nye took aim at Republicans in a June 2024 ABC News interview about extreme heat. “One side, one political party isn’t acknowledging the problem, let alone coming up with a plan to do something about it,” he said. Nye also accused politicians of following the fossil fuel industry’s wishes. He urged people to discuss climate change with their families, friends and candidates, and then vote on the issue.
His criticism continued during Trump’s second term. Appearing on CNN in April 2026, Nye objected to a proposal to cut NASA’s overall budget by about 20% and its science budget by nearly half. He said the cuts would end programs and waste previous investments. Nye, the Planetary Society’s chief ambassador, said its members planned to press lawmakers to preserve the funding.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.
