'Unified Reich' campaign video is Trump's latest Nazi dog whistle
A video posted to Donald Trump’s account on his Truth Social platform Monday and deleted on Tuesday flashed the phrase “the creation of a unified Reich” on screen when envisioning what America would be like should Trump return to the White House.
The video sparked outrage that went beyond social media, with “Good Morning America” congressional correspondent Rachel Scott saying that it was “not normal” for presidential candidates to share videos containing “references to Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler.”
The Associated Press reports that Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt claims the video was not sanctioned by the campaign. She said it was created by a "random account online" and posted by an anonymous staffer who didn’t spot the Nazi-related reference. Considering the poor quality of the video, that seems almost plausible.
But this explanation contradicts what Trump has said about who controls his personal Truth Social account, and it fails to explain a pattern of Nazi dog whistles that has long been a part of Trump’s act.