 "Why Donald Trump’s ‘unified Reich’ post is so controversial")
On Monday, a video posted to Donald Trump’s account on his social media network, Truth Social, featured references to a “unified Reich” among other hypothetical news headlines celebrating his potential victory in the upcoming November presidential elections. The video, which also included messages like “Trump wins!!” and “Economy booms!”, contained several references to World War I.
We explain why the ad, which was taken down after being on Trump’s official Truth Social account for around 19 hours later, is so controversial.
What happened?
The 30-second video was posted during a lunch break from Trump’s Manhattan hush money trial on Monday (local time) and was later deleted on Tuesday morning. The controversial text appears at the start of the video under a fictional headline “What’s Next for America”. It also comes towards the end of the video under the Make America Great Again (MAGA) acronym. The text reads “German industrial strength and production had significantly increased after 1871, driven by the creation of a unified Reich.” It seems to be copied verbatim from a Wikipedia entry on World War I.
Here’s the full video for context.pic.twitter.com/6RxP2KsEWm https://t.co/V9LDnNsP8f
— Walt Wang (@waltywang) May 21, 2024
Nazi connotations of ‘unified Reich’
The term “Reich,” which means “empire” in German, is inextricably linked to Nazi Germany’s Third Reich, which ruled from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler. This association has made its appearance in the video particularly inflammatory. While the video’s reference to a “unified Reich” was likely intended to allude to the creation of the modern German state in 1871, it cannot escape the shadow of Nazi connotations.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTrump’s critics argue that such references are not coincidental, given his history of using language and imagery associated with Nazi Germany. The controversial video has thus reignited debates about Trump’s rhetoric that has heavily imbibed Nazi language.
Trump’s history of using Nazi rhetoric
Donald Trump has a long history of making statements and taking actions that many view as echoing Nazi rhetoric. He has been accused of using language similar to that found in Hitler’s manifesto “Mein Kampf.” For instance, he described immigrants entering the US illegally as “poisoning the blood of our country” and called his political opponents “vermin.” These terms are disturbingly reminiscent of the dehumanising language used by the Nazis in their persecution and killing of Jews, gypsies, the specially abled, and multiple other groups.
Moreover, Trump’s response to the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where marchers chanted “Jews will not replace us,” was seen as equivocal. He infamously referred to some of the neo-Nazi marchers as “very fine people.” More recently, Trump has been criticized for dining with Holocaust-denying white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has made antisemitic remarks.
NEW: @BidenHQ statement on @AP report that Trump shared video of fake headlines pretending he won, including a celebration of a “unified Reich” pic.twitter.com/nDDE6lG7dJ
— James Singer (@Jemsinger) May 21, 2024
Given this backdrop, the use of the term “unified Reich” in a Trump campaign video appears to many as another instance of his flirtation with Nazi imagery and rhetoric.
Deportation imagery adds fuel to the fire
The controversy surrounding the “unified Reich” mention is further exacerbated by other imagery in the video. Headlines like “Border Is Closed” and “15 Million Illegal Aliens Deported” were superimposed over text referring to the start and end dates of World War I. This juxtaposition of mass deportation with WWI references has disturbed many observers, who see it as a nod to historical instances of ethnic cleansing and forced migrations.
One user on X wrote, “So, there’s been a lot of talk about the “unified reich” undertext — but the absolutely unblinking and unironic superimposition of mass deportation talk over WWI text is, you know, disturbing."
So, there’s been a lot of talk about the “unified reich” undertext — but the absolutely unblinking and unironic superimposition of mass deportation talk over WWI text is, you know, disturbing AF /1 pic.twitter.com/TyU7JgzWaL
— Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) May 21, 2024
The Trump campaign’s apparent embrace of such imagery, whether deliberate or accidental, has raised alarms about the potential implications of his return to power. Critics argue that it normalises extremist views and rhetoric, contributing to a dangerous political climate.
Was the ad really accidental?
In response to the uproar, Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s campaign press secretary, said that the video was not an official campaign product but was created by a random online account and reposted by a staffer who allegedly did not notice the contentious wording. However, this explanation has done little to quell the controversy.
The video appears to have been created by a meme creator who goes by the username Ramble_Rants.
However, skepticism remains. Mark Shanahan, an American politics expert at the University of Surrey, told Newsweek that such mistakes are often deliberate. He argues that the Trump campaign is always conscious of the content it amplifies and uses these so-called errors to dominate the news agenda and deflect attention from other issues, such as Trump’s legal troubles.
The Biden-Harris campaign were also quick to point out that Trump has previously claimed that only he and his close associate, Dan Scavino, have access to his social media account.
Trump’s press secretary claims Trump’s ad calling for a “UNIFIED REICH” was posted by a random unknown “staffer.”
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) May 21, 2024
Here is Trump saying that only he and his top right-hand man, Dan Scavino, have access to post on his social media accounts pic.twitter.com/AtU6UnzFBm
The controversy surrounding the video is a reminder of the contentious nature of Trump’s political communication.
With inputs from agencies
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