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Biden says Trump using Hitler's language with 'Reich' post

May 21, 2024

The video reposted by Donald Trump referred to a "unified Reich" if the Republican gets a second term at the White House. Trump later deleted the video from his social media account.

https://p.dw.com/p/4g7CJ
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in March
Trump's social media usage has often drawn criticism from opponents Image: Meg Kinnard/AP Photo/picture alliance

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump for reposting a video with Nazi-era language on his social media account.

"This is Hitler's language, not America's," Biden said during a fundraiser in Boston in the northeastern state of Massachusetts.

The video, reposted by Trump on his Truth Social media account, referred to a "united Reich" if the Republican former president wins the 2024 election against incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden.

The German word "Reich," meaning "empire," is associated with Nazi Germany. Under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945, 6 million Jews in Europe were murdered in the Holocaust. 

White House: Trump repost 'abhorrent, sickening and disgraceful' 

"It is abhorrent, sickening and disgraceful for anyone to promote content associated with Germany's Nazi government under Adolf Hitler," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said earlier on Tuesday.

Biden-Harris spokesperson James Singer said: "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.''' 

The video reposted by the former president featured hypothetical headlines on newspapers if Trump were to win the 2024 race, such as "Economy Booms!" and "Border Is Closed." Under one of the headlines saying "What's Next for America?" a subtitle on the paper says "Industrial Strength Significantly Increased Driven By The Creation of A Unified Reich." 

A screenshot from the video Trump had reposted on his Truth Social account
The term "reich" was used under the "What's Next for America?" hypothetical newspaper headline in the video reposted by Trump's account Image: CHRIS DELMAS AFP via Getty Images

The newspaper text from the "Reich" part of the video lifted text from a Wikipedia entry on World War I, which reads: "German industrial strength and production had increased after 1871, driven by the creation of a unified Reich."  

Trump spokesperson: 'This was not a campaign video'

Trump's account later deleted the video after the repost.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump's campaign press secretary, said, "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."

wd/wmr, jsi (Reuters, AFP)