Donald Trump's proposed new Space Force uniform has been compared to Nazi military dress after the US president said the design was inspired by the 1997 sci-fi film Starship Troopers.
The President unveiled a rendering of the proposed outfit on Truth Social, describing it as inspired by the “discipline and functionality” of the uniforms in the film.
Design details
The dark design features a sharply fitted tunic, a peaked cap bearing insignia and knee-high boots. Trump said the colour palette would include “space grey”, “midnight black”, “silver grey” and “satin black”.
Starship Troopers is famous for deliberately drawing on the imagery and aesthetics of Nazi Germany and fascism.
Director's intent
Director Paul Verhoeven, who grew up in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, has previously described the film as an “ironic” vision of a “fascist utopia”.
“I decided to make a movie about fascists who aren’t aware of their fascism,” he told The Guardian in 2022, adding that the film was specifically about American politics.
Verhoeven drew inspiration from fascist propaganda films including Triumph of the Will, while Neil Patrick Harris, who played a senior military officer in the film, was dressed in what the director said was essentially an SS uniform.
Historical comparisons
The film's Nazi-inspired styling was also noted by critics at the time. A Washington Post review highlighted its “obvious Nazi fashions” and Harris's “black shirt, overcoat and SS-style cap”, while the Los Angeles Times described its aesthetics as being “derived from Nazi Germany”.
Trump created the US Space Force in 2019 and has previously embraced its science-fiction associations.
Departure from current uniform
The proposed uniform is a significant departure from the Space Force's current military dress, which features a looser tunic with a diagonal front fastening and six buttons – representing the fact that it is the sixth branch of the US military. The current uniform has previously been compared to the outfits worn by Imperial officers in Star Wars.
Trump's new rendering appears to have been AI-generated and was described as being “modernised for the guardians of the space domain”. While it does not feature the long leather coat worn by Harris's character in Starship Troopers, its dark tunic, peaked cap and boots closely resemble the film's militaristic aesthetic.
Derek Guy, a menswear writer, criticised the look, saying: “This is the kind of design costume designers make to tell you who are the bad guys in a space movie.”
