Trump's Truth Social posted a video with apparent Nazi messaging — his team says it wasn't him
CHRIS DELMAS via Getty Images
- Donald Trump's Truth Social account shared a video referencing a "unified Reich."
- The Biden campaign accused Trump of echoing Nazi Germany.
- The Trump campaign said the wording of the video hadn't been checked.
Donald Trump's Truth Social account shared a video claiming that if he wins the presidency again, America will be a "unified Reich," in what critics say is an echo of Nazi rhetoric.
In a 30-second video posted on the former president's social media page Monday, a narrator discusses "what's next for America" if Trump wins again, and a series of hypothetical headlines are shown.
Among them is one describing a "unified Reich." The term "Reich" refers to a kingdom or empire in German and is best known for the term the Nazis used to describe their regime: "The Third Reich."
The video envisages an economic boom, the deportation of migrants, and tax cuts if Trump wins.
It was posted during a break in Trump's New York trial, where he has denied allegation that he made "hush money" payments during his 2016 campaign, ABC News reported.
The Trump campaign claimed the video was shared by a staffer who didn't see the reference to the "unified Reich" before posting it.
"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, a campaign spokesperson, said in a statement. "The real extremist is Joe Biden."
President Joe Biden's campaign campaign said the post was "foreshadowing a second Trump term that says he will create a 'UNIFIED REICH,' echoing Nazi Germany."
A Biden campaign spokesman said the video showed that Trump intended to rule as a dictator if he wins power again in November's election.
"Donald Trump is not playing games; he is telling America exactly what he intends to do if he regains power: rule as a dictator over a 'unified reich," said spokesman James Singer in an emailed statement to media outlets.
According to the Associated Press, the text appears to be taken from a Wikipedia entry on World War I, which describes how Germany's economic growth after unification in 1871 was "driven by the creation of a unified Reich."
Trump has long faced controversy for posting material that critics say echoes fascist propaganda. In 2016, Trump shared a quote by Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, an ally of Hitler, on X, then called Twitter.
The Biden campaign has claimed that reelection of Trump would place American democracy in danger, and the president has compared Trump's description of migrants as "vermin" at a rally last November to Nazi rhetoric.
The Trump campaign at the time said that critics were "snowflakes grasping for anything" in response to the controversy.