This week, an image from a high school government textbook circulated widely online, prompting questions from critics about whether the Advanced Placement program crossed a line. The chart shows President Donald Trump positioned near Adolf Hitler on a political compass map. Since then, the side-by-side portrayal has attracted both criticism and some dark humor.
Commentator Karol Markowicz shared a photo of her younger cousin’s AP American Government textbook on April 4. She said the more you look at it, the stranger it gets. Beyond the Trump-Hitler proximity, critics say the chart has lumped ideologically distant figures together, such as Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush. The chart also places Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) closer to the political center.
Even former President Barack Obama appears in a spot that leans conservative.
Even while political compasses are by their very nature subjective, trying to reduce complex ideas to a simplified grid usually ends up in arguments. Critics say the model’s simplification is part of what has fueled debate.
Trump admires dictators. pic.twitter.com/QEbp4VVmLK
— Paul Dunfee (@lvhothead2483) April 7, 2026
Critics argue that presenting such a chart in an AP-level textbook gives it an air of authority it may not deserve. In a classroom setting, students are still forming their political understanding, and a biased model could shape perceptions. If a chart appears to nudge students toward a particular interpretation of politics, it risks being seen as indoctrination, be it on the left or the right.
Trump’s ideological similarities to Hitler have been reported on by several outlets, such as Time magazine, though.
The two figures are often compared in public debate. The subject returned most publicly in 2024 when former White House chief of staff and retired Marine general John Kelly stated in interviews that Trump often said that Hitler “did some good things” and used to voice his admiration for his generals, according to PBS.
Trump’s team has, however, denied those accounts and called them fabricated.
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In a chart featured in an AP American Government book, Trump is slightly less authoritarian than Hitler, but more than Stalin. https://t.co/LG97VOIIeT
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) April 7, 2026
As of now, neither the textbook publisher nor the school district has publicly addressed the controversy.
Will the chart be revised in future editions? Was it reviewed before publication? And most importantly, how are educators going to contextualize it in the classroom? Until those questions are answered, the image will likely continue to circulate.
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