Sean Spicer Has a Terribly Skewed and Inaccurate Understanding of Hitler

In an astounding display of historical ignorance, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has proven, once again, his incompetence. He's also proven that he maybe never took a history class or even simply learned the basic facts of World War II.

On April 11, Spicer responded to a reporter's question about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons on civilians last week by comparing al-Assad to German dictator Adolf Hitler. Spicer attempted to suggest that Hitler — who, as you might recall, callously slaughtered more than 6 million people in the Holocaust — was somehow not "as bad" as al-Assad. In doing so, he displayed an offensive ignorance about some of Hitler's most atrocious crimes.

"You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons," Spicer said during the press conference. Not only is Spicer's comment inaccurate, but it's bizarre that someone of his position would sincerely believe Hitler did not "gas his own people." Hitler's concentration camps were responsible, via mass "showers" turned gas chambers, for the murder of millions using a lethal gas called Zyklon B.

While it's true that Hitler did not drop sarin from an airplane like Assad allegedly did, the German tyrant certainly gassed his own people. Even when Spicer was questioned again in the same press conference about his comments, his clarification did not suggest any different understanding of Nazi Germany.

"He was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing," Spicer told the reporters. The only way this statement could be interpreted truthfully is if Spicer had never uttered his previous comments. Hitler, again, absolutely did not use gas in the same way Assad has — it's decidedly worse — but Spicer's remark is ostensibly intended to imply Assad is worse than Hitler.

Adding insult to injury, Spicer also referred to concentration camps as "Holocaust centers." Endeavoring for a third time to elucidate his remarks, Spicer released another statement about his remarks. The third comment, again, clarified almost nothing.

"In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust," Spicer's statement read. "I was trying to draw a contrast of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on innocent people."

Twitter, abundant with clapbacks, responded to Spicer's ignorance accordingly.