A video posted to Donald Trump’s account on his social media network included references to a “unified Reich” among hypothetical news headlines if he wins the election in November. The headline appears among messages flashing across the screen such as “Trump wins!!” and “Economy booms!” Other headlines appear to be references to World War I. The word “Reich” is often largely associated with Nazi Germany’s Third Reich, though the references in the video Trump shared appear to be a reference to the formation of the modern pan-German nation, unifying smaller states into a single Reich, or empire, in 1871. President Joe Biden, speaking at a Boston fundraiser Tuesday, highlighted Trump’s posting of the video, painting it as part of a pattern of incendiary comments sowing discord in the country, saying, “this is Hitler’s language — not America’s.”
Quick Read
- Trump’s Controversial Video: A video posted on Donald Trump’s social media account included a headline about a “unified Reich,” among other celebratory messages.
- Historical References: The term “Reich” is commonly associated with Nazi Germany’s Third Reich but in this context refers to the unification of German states into an empire in 1871.
- Campaign’s Clarification: The Trump campaign stated the video was reposted by a staffer who didn’t notice the word while Trump was in court, not created by the campaign itself.
- Biden’s Response: President Joe Biden criticized the video, labeling it as “Hitler’s language — not America’s” during a fundraiser in Boston.
- Previous Incendiary Remarks: Trump has previously used Nazi-associated language, referring to Biden’s administration as a “Gestapo administration” and describing illegal immigrants as “poisoning the blood of our country.”
- Past Controversies: Trump faced backlash for dining with a Holocaust-denying white nationalist in 2022 and downplaying the 2017 Charlottesville rally where white nationalists chanted “Jews will not replace us!”
- Video Origin: The video appears to be created by a meme maker known as Ramble_Rants, who has previously collaborated with the Trump campaign.
- Content Source: At least one headline in the video is copied verbatim from a Wikipedia entry on World War I, with historical headlines sourced from the stock video company Envato Elements.
The Associated Press has the story:
Trump social media account shares a campaign video about ‘unified Reich’
Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP) —
A video posted to Donald Trump’s account on his social media network included references to a “unified Reich” among hypothetical news headlines if he wins the election in November.
The headline appears among messages flashing across the screen such as “Trump wins!!” and “Economy booms!” Other headlines appear to be references to World War I. The word “Reich” is often largely associated with Nazi Germany’s Third Reich, though the references in the video Trump shared appear to be a reference to the formation of the modern pan-German nation, unifying smaller states into a single Reich, or empire, in 1871.
The 30-second video appeared Monday on Trump’s account at a time when the presumptive Republican nominee for president, while seeking to portray President Joe Biden as soft on antisemitism, has himself repeatedly faced criticism for using language and rhetoric associated with Nazi Germany.
It was posted and shared on the former president’s Truth Social account while he was on a lunch break from his Manhattan hush money trial Monday afternoon. On Tuesday morning, the post of the video had been deleted.
“This was not a campaign video, it was created by a random account online and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word, while the President was in court,” Karoline Leavitt, the campaign press secretary, said in a statement.
Biden, speaking at a Boston fundraiser Tuesday, highlighted Trump’s posting of the video, painting it as part of a pattern of incendiary comments sowing discord in the country, saying, “this is Hitler’s language — not America’s.”
Earlier this month, Trump said at a fundraiser that Biden is running a “Gestapo administration,” referring to the secret Nazi police force.
Trump previously used rhetoric echoing Adolf Hitler when he said immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country,” and called his opponents “vermin.”
The former president has also drawn wide backlash for having dined with a Holocaust-denying white nationalist in 2022 and for downplaying the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists chanted “Jews will not replace us!”
At least one of the headlines flashing in the video appears to be text that is copied verbatim from a Wikipedia entry on World War I: “German industrial strength and production had significantly increased after 1871, driven by the creation of a unified Reich.”
In one image, the headlines “Border Is Closed” and “15 Million Illegal Aliens Deported” appear above smaller text with the start and end dates of World War I.
The video appears to have been created by a meme creator who goes by the username Ramble_Rants.
The creator, who is part of a group of meme makers that The New York Times reported has previously collaborated with the Trump campaign, posted the video on the social platform X Monday morning.
In a post on X, Ramble_Rants defended the video, arguing it was about “American peace and prosperity.”
The user explained in a post that the newspaper clippings in the video were pre-selected as part of a template showing historical headlines from the stock video company Envato Elements.
