Former New York Times columnist Paul Krugman argued the United States needs to go through a “de-MAGAfication” process after President Donald Trump leaves office, just like Germany went through a Denazification process following World War II.

Krugman made the bold claim in a video he posted to YouTube on Sunday.

“We really need to do a thorough purging of the United States,” Krugman said. “We need a de-MAGAgfication, and I am not going over the top by using a word that is very similar to the Denazification that we pursued successfully after World War II in Germany.

“That came a moment after Krugman said the U.S. needs to “obviously” make sure Trump fans are blocked from positions of power once the president exits the White House. “We need to de-fang Trump as much as possible,” he said.

Krugman continued complaining about Trump’s America, saying it is a “nightmare beyond even the worst fantasies.” He added the country is doomed to repeat the horrors of the Trump administration, in his view, if Americans “whitewash” this part of history.

“If we don’t do something beyond just getting rid of Trump, it’s going to happen again,” Krugman warned.

His panicky concerns about Trump are not that surprising, considering Krugman — who wrote for the Times from 2000 to 2024 — has been a critic of the president for years. He warned a month before the 2024 election that Trump’s tariff plan would “wreck” the economy, and he later blasted Trump’s tariffs as “clearly illegal” last year.

Trump bashed Krugman in return, calling him a “deranged BUM” who had been “predicting Doom and Gloom” since he entered office in early 2017.

“In other words, he has been wrong for YEARS, as ALL markets have been hitting new HIGHS, and are now higher than ever before,” Trump posted. “People stayed out of the “BEST MARKET IN HISTOY” [sic] because of this Trump Deranged BUM. Sue them!”

Watch above.

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