--- title: Why Spicer's Holocaust Remark Matters description: White House press secretary Sean Spicer stepped in it on Tuesday when he overlooked the gassing of millions of Jews in the Holocaust. canonical: https://time.com/4735868/why-spicers-holocaust-remark-matters/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-12T17:48:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:45:28.261Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Spicer's Holocaust Remark Matters og:description: White House press secretary Sean Spicer stepped in it on Tuesday when he overlooked the gassing of millions of Jews in the Holocaust. og:url: https://time.com/4735868/why-spicers-holocaust-remark-matters/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Spicer's Holocaust Remark Matters twitter:description: White House press secretary Sean Spicer stepped in it on Tuesday when he overlooked the gassing of millions of Jews in the Holocaust. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Spicer's Holocaust Remark Matters > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=71da8d55-fe3e-4846-8b01-ce2459e63939&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Sean Spicer: Hitler 'Didn't Even Sink to Using Chemical Weapons' [Watch (HLS stream): Sean Spicer: Hitler 'Didn't Even Sink to Using Chemical Weapons'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VrIbxAJ1.m3u8) (0:51)  _Published 2017-04-11. Sean Spicer incorrectly claimed that Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons during World War II while comparing him to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a Tuesday press conference._ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Apr 12, 2017 5:48 PM UTC Sean Spicer incorrectly claimed that Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons during World War II while comparing him to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a Tuesday press conference. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Apr 12, 2017 5:48 PM UTC White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer stepped in it Tuesday, when he apparently overlooked the gassing of millions of Jews during the Holocaust to make a point about the Assad regime’s horror — on Passover, no less. Spicer meeting the wrong end of Godwin’s law could hardly come at a worse time for the White House—compounding the sense that the Administration lacks discipline after a wild first 100 days. Besides violating one of the cardinal rules of politics — Holocaust comparisons are always more risk than they’re worth — the gaffe distracted the White House from the good press it was earning for its decision to retaliate against the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It served to further underscore lingering questions about the White House’s commitment to combatting anti-Semitism, at a time when it is on the rise. And particularly as the generation of survivors is growing shrinking, there is little tolerance for even inadvertent comments that diminish the Holocaust. There’s little doubt it was a mistake, but it was a costly one both for Spicer and the Trump White House. Republican Ron Estes won a special election to fill a vacant House seat from Kansas in an unexpectedly close contest that required last-minute efforts by the National Republican Congressional Committee, Vice President Mike Pence, and Trump himself to bring him over the finish line. It was a wake-up call to the GOP in the Trump era, which finds itself on defense in several special elections after a rocky start to the Administration, and points to the challenges ahead in maintaining their party’s majorities next fall—even with its structural advantages in a midterm year. Trump says he won’t be sending troops to Syria—even though there are more than 1,000 U.S. troops already on the ground. Sessions talks tough on the border. And what to ask your member of Congress at a town hall. _Here are your must reads:_ **Must Reads** [Here Are 5 Questions to Ask Your Lawmaker at a Town Hall ](http://time.com/4734976/congress-recess-town-hall-questions/)TIME’s Sam Frizell lays out the key issues for this recess [Classified Docs Contradict Nunes Surveillance Claims, GOP and Dem Sources Say ](http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/politics/intelligence-contradicts-nunes-unmasking-claims/index.html)Unmasking claims in doubt \[CNN\] [The Latest Test for the White House? Pulling Off Its Easter Egg Roll ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/us/politics/white-house-easter-egg-roll-trump.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&%5Fr=0)Logistical hurdle seen as organizationally-challenged White House prepares for primetime \[New York Times\] [Republicans Survive Election Scare and Narrowly Win Kansas Seat ](http://time.com/4735661/kansas-election-ron-estes/)Last-minute help pays off \[Associated Press\] [Social Conservatives Make Last-Minute Push to Defund Planned Parenthood ](http://time.com/4735013/planned-parenthood-defund-budget-reconciliation/)Could provoke shutdown, TIME’s Elizabeth Dias writes [Trump: ‘We’re Not Going Into Syria’ ](http://nypost.com/2017/04/11/trump-were-not-going-into-syria/)Despite U.S. troops already on the ground \[New York Post\] [Sean Spicer Apologizes for Saying Assad’s Chemical-Weapons Atrocities Were Worse Than Hitler’s ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-spokesman-argues-assads-chemical-weapons-atrocities-were-worse-than-hitlers-1491937683)White House spokesman, overlooking the gas chambers, said Hitler ‘didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons’ \[Wall Street Journal\] [Russia Accuses US of Unlawful Syria Raid as Tillerson Visits ](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a9ce4f7b75a9403f8456362f648e4010/tillerson-visits-moscow-trump-calls-assad-animal)Chilly reception for Tillerson \[Associated Press\] **Sound Off** “You know, you had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.” — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer Tuesday “I was obviously trying to make a point about the heinous acts that Assad had made against his own people last week using chemical weapons and gas, and frankly I mistakenly used an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust for which frankly there is no comparison.” — Spicer apologizing on CNN Tuesday evening **Bits and Bites** [Trump won’t definitively say he still backs Bannon](http://nypost.com/2017/04/11/trump-wont-definitively-say-he-still-backs-bannon/) \[New York Post\] [Manafort firm received Ukraine ledger payout](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/20cfc75c82eb4a67b94e624e97207e23/records-match-some-ukraine-ledger-payments-ex-trump-aide) \[Associated Press\] [Attorney General Jeff Sessions Brings Tough Talk on Immigration to the Mexican Border](http://time.com/4734956/jeff-sessions-immigration-mexico-border-nogales-speech/) \[TIME\] [A ‘Heartbroken’ Ivanka Trump Influenced President Trump’s Syria Strike, Eric Trump Says](http://time.com/4734340/donald-trump-ivanka-syria-strike/) \[TIME\] [Comedian Hasan Minhaj Will Host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner](http://time.com/4734249/hasan-minhaj-host-white-house-correspondents-dinner/) \[TIME\] [Sean Spicer Apologizes for Saying Hitler Never Used Chemical Weapons](http://time.com/4735540/sean-spicer-hitler-chemical-weapons-apology/) \[TIME\] [Read What Sean Spicer Said About Adolf Hitler and Chemical Weapons](http://time.com/4735224/sean-spicer-hitler-chemical-weapons-transcript/) \[TIME\] ## Transcript [00:00] We didn't use chemical weapons in World War II. You [00:03] had someone who's despicable as Hitler, [00:08] who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons. So [00:13] you have to, if you're Russia, ask yourself, is this a [00:16] country and a regime that you want to align yourself [00:19] with? The visit is part of our effort to maintain direct [00:21] lines of communication. With senior Russian officials. [00:24] And to ensure that the United States' views on the [00:27] situation in Syria, counterterrorism efforts, North [00:30] Korea, and other matters are clearly conveyed. We're [00:33] open to strategic cooperation with Russia when we can [00:36] achieved a shared goal, such as defeating ISIS. But [00:40] we'll stand up for our interest and values when we do [00:42] not see eye to eye. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4735868/why-spicers-holocaust-remark-matters/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4735868/why-spicers-holocaust-remark-matters/"},"headline":"Why Spicer's Holocaust Remark Matters","datePublished":"2017-04-12T17:48:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T08:45:28.261Z","description":"Morning Must Reads: April 12","url":"https://time.com/4735868/why-spicers-holocaust-remark-matters/","keywords":["Morning Must Reads"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Morning Must Reads","caption":"Capitol","creditText":"Mark Wilson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4735868/why-spicers-holocaust-remark-matters/","name":"Why Spicer's Holocaust Remark Matters"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Sean Spicer: Hitler 'Didn't Even Sink to Using Chemical Weapons'","description":"Sean Spicer incorrectly claimed that Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons during World War II while comparing him to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a Tuesday press conference.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/VrIbxAJ1/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-04-11T18:54:43.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VrIbxAJ1.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4735868/why-spicers-holocaust-remark-matters/","duration":"PT51S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4735868/why-spicers-holocaust-remark-matters/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```