Trump’s social media account shares video referencing ‘unified reich’
Trump’s campaign said a staffer did not see the word ‘reich’ in the video.
Donald Trump’s social media account on Monday shared a video referencing a “unified reich” in a post about how the country will change if he becomes president again.
His campaign said a staffer did not see the word “reich” before it was posted — an explanation President Joe Biden’s team blasted on Monday night.
In the video shared on Trump’s Truth Social account, while a narrator described “What happens after Donald Trump wins,” the screen twice flashed to a headline showing the words “Industrial strength significantly increased … driven by the creation of a unified reich.”
The German phrase “reich” refers to an empire, but also carries the connotation of Adolf Hitler’s “Third Reich,” another name for his Nazi regime.
“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,’” Biden spokesperson James Singer said.
Trump’s campaign said the language was not used intentionally.
“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,” said Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
The video, which remained online as of Monday night, was posted shortly before Trump returned to the New York courtroom from a lunch break in his hush-money trial. It was not immediately clear who created the video.
The Associated Press first reported that the text appeared to be lifted verbatim off a Wikipedia entry for World War I, reading “German industrial strength and production had significantly increased after 1871, driven by the creation of a unified Reich.”
Trump has long touted his commitment to Israel, including moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem while in office. And he has criticized Biden for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, while also casting some blame on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden has pushed for additional aid to Israel, but has still come under fire from the pro-Israel faction for noting the loss of civilian life in Gaza by Israeli forces. And he is facing backlash from his left flank, where critics say he is not doing enough to stop Israel’s siege against Gaza.
In her statement to POLITICO, Leavitt continued by bashing Biden, calling him “the real extremist,” who “has turned his back on Israel and the Jewish people by bowing down to radical anti-semites and terrorist sympathizers in his party.”
Trump in 2022 came under fire after having dinner at Mar-a-Lago with prominent antisemites Kanye West and Nicholas Fuentes, prompting the Republican National Committee to pass a resolution soon after condemning antisemitism. Trump has also faced heavy criticism for previous dehumanizing comments echoing Hitler’s rhetoric, including referring to political enemies as “vermin” and asserting that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.”
Singer, who warned Americans to “stop scrolling and pay attention,” went on to blast Trump’s “extreme vision of chaos, division and violence.”
Trump shares a steady stream of videos to his Truth Social page, most recently ones contrasting his campaign style with that of Biden’s. A video posted later Monday night showed footage of sparsely filled rooms for Biden events, in contrast with shots showing high-energy crowds gathered to hear Trump speak. The video also featured a shirtless Biden enjoying a beach vacation.
Trump isn’t the first Republican presidential candidate this election cycle to face criticism related to a video featuring Nazi-related details. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fired a staffer on his presidential campaign last year who created and publicly shared a pro-DeSantis video that included a sonnenrad symbol also used by Nazis.