Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

101-Year-Old WWII Veteran Goes Viral With His Blistering Rant About 'Fascist' Trump—And We're Cheering

Screenshot of Robert Hillard; Donald Trump
@tomaskennedy/X; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

At a vigil for the closing of the Alligator Alcatraz ICE detention center in Florida, 101-year-old veteran Robert Hilliard sounded off about President Trump and his "fascist government" in a speech that has since gone viral.

Make us preferred on Google

101-year-old veteran Robert Hilliard has gone viral for condemning President Donald Trump and his "fascist government" in remarks at a vigil for the closing of the "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center in Florida late last month.

Officials announced a temporary closure of the immigration detention facility last month, transferring all detainees to other centers after determining that hurricane season made it unsafe to continue operating at the remote Everglades site.


People held there described limited access to attorneys, unsanitary conditions, worms in the food, malfunctioning toilets, flooding contaminated with sewage, swarms of mosquitoes and insects, overcrowded tents lined with bunk beds inside chain-link enclosures, intermittent air conditioning during Florida's intense heat, and delays in receiving showers and prescription medications.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that every detainee had been transferred from the detention center but did not disclose how many people were moved, where they were sent, or whether the closure would be permanent.

As part of the vigil, Hilliard, a 101-year-old World War II veteran, addressed the crowd to condemn the Trump administration as a "fascist government" committing human rights abuses:

"Well, as you just heard, next week I'll be 101 years old. In February 1944, when I was 18 years old, I was inducted into the Army, and they sent me for basic training to Camp Blanding, which is near Jacksonville, Florida."
"And what they taught me to do there was to kill people who had set up detention camps in Germany. Can you imagine how I felt earlier this year when they announced that one of the future detention camps would be at that same Camp Blanding in Florida? What remarkable irony."
"We in this country have seen a remarkable change. And in Washington right now — and forgive me, I’m gonna use the 'f' word — we have a fascist, a fascist government that allows innocent people to be put in detention camps and incarcerated."
"We have been lied to over and over and over again about these camps. Our president said these detention camps were being put up to put in immigrants who had criminal records. We now have about 65–70,000 people incarcerated in these camps."
"29% have criminal records. 71% of the people in these camps, even with our country's and our government's statements about why they set up the camps, don’t belong there! 71% of the people in camps don’t belong there, according to the government, and yet they are put there."
"We’ve got to fight. We’ve got to keep fighting. We’ve got to reach people all over this country and tell them, 'Don't look away. See what’s happening.'"

Hilliard's remarks were recorded by PhD student and immigration advocate Thomas Kennedy on X and Instagram.


Many have praised Hilliard for speaking out and echoed his condemnation of the Trump administration.


Hilliard's warning went viral mere days before roughly 400 members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front traveled to the nation's capital to march on July 4.

He knows fascists when he sees them. We should be listening.

More from People/donald-trump

Frankie Grande attends The 79th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.
Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

Frankie Grande Shares Gnarly Injury Photos After Prop Accident Causes Concussion During Broadway Show

Frankie Grande is showing fans the aftermath of a frightening Broadway mishap. The performer revealed he suffered a concussion and facial injuries after being struck by a prop during a performance of Titaníque, sharing photos of the damage days later.

The actor revealed on Instagram on Sunday that the injury occurred during the show's performance on Thursday, July 2. Photos included in the post showed bruising around his left eye and across the bridge of his nose.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millie Bobby Brown
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Millie Bobby Brown Hits Back After Fans Drag Her Historically Inaccurate Nails In 'Enola Holmes 3'

Nothing ruins a period piece or historical fiction quite like dialogue that's too contemporary for the time, or wardrobe pieces that weren't around then.

There's also an increasing problem in the entertainment industry of actors having what people are calling "iPhone Face" or "Instagram Face," because they have adopted features, through Botox and other treatments, that are attuned to social media but would stand out in a period piece.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kylian Mbappe; Celeste Amarilla
Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; Nath Aguilar/picture alliance via Getty Images

French Soccer Star Kylian Mbappé Perfectly Rips Paraguayan Senator After Her Vile Racist Post Attacking Him

French soccer star Kylian Mbappé has struck out forcefully at Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla following her racist rant.

Amarilla's screed came following Paraguay's World Cup loss to France.

Keep ReadingShow less
Troy Nehls; Statue of Liberty
Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images; Achim Thomae/Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Slammed After Saying We Should Cover Up Statue Of Liberty To Deter Immigrants

During a xenophobic, racist rant about immigration on the Capitol Building steps, controversial Texas MAGA Republican Representative Troy Nehls called for a "bed sheet" to be placed over the Statue of Liberty for ten years.

The comment came just after Nehls disparaged the working class for not working as hard as he does after bragging about his plans for a lobster and ribeye feast for the 4th of July.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Mike Pence
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Images

Trump Gets Brutally Trolled With Old Mike Pence Posts After U.S. World Cup Defeat

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after Belgium knocked Team USA out of the World Cup after a 4–1 victory, with critics resurrecting jokes about former Vice President Mike Pence refusing to certify the 2020 election results.

The jokes are a response to Trump's role in the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun's eligibility. Balogun had received a red card—the most severe penalty a player can receive on the field—against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was initially set to serve an automatic one-match suspension before FIFA overturned the ban.

Keep ReadingShow less