The Trump campaign has deleted a video posted to the former president's Truth Social account that referenced a 'unified Reich', a term now often associated with Nazi Germany. The 30-second clip outlined a vision of the US under Mr Trump through stylised headlines, one of which read: 'Industrial strength and production had significantly increased driven by the creation of a unified Reich'.
The video was posted on Monday and removed the next day. A campaign spokeswoman said it was not an official video and was uploaded by a junior staff member who did not see the word, while Mr Trump was in court. BBC Verify found the graphics likely originated from a video template website, and the version on Truth Social was first posted on X by a user who regularly reposts videos from a pro-Trump group.
The term 'Reich' historically refers to the German empire, but is now strongly linked to the Nazi Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. The video also featured headlines about border control and deportations, alongside a picture of the US southern border wall and dates from World War One.
James Singer, a spokesman for President Joe Biden's campaign, condemned the video, saying it was 'part of a pattern of his praise for dictators and echoing antisemitic tropes'. Mr Singer claimed the video showed what Mr Trump intended to do if he regained power: 'rule as a dictator over a unified Reich'.
The former president has previously faced criticism for using language such as 'poisoning the blood of our country' about immigrants and calling opponents 'vermin'. He was also criticised for dining with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes in 2022. Mr Trump regularly rails against 'fascists' and 'communists' at his rallies.
