The Trump administration’s legacy is already surrounded by a great deal of controversy, especially in regards to its connections to far-right ideologies and Nazi sympathizers. Recent evaluations of speeches and actions taken by prominent figures within the administration reveal alarming parallels to historical fascist rhetoric. Stephen Miller gets ready to give a speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service. It had more than a passing resemblance to Joseph Goebbels’s 1932 campaign speech, “The Storm is Coming.” The resemblance cannot be overstated, and the concern should focus on the infiltration of extremist ideologies in Trump’s inner circle.
Donald Trump has been justly shamed for adopting themes straight out of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf. His use of language has rattled a lot of people’s cages. He has branded his political opponents as “vermin poisoning the blood” of the country. This incendiary political rhetoric has shocked and dented our democracy and caught the attention of historians and political analysts alike. Moreover, Trump’s controversial statement praising neo-Nazis as “very fine people” has been a focal point of debate, with his supporters spending years attempting to refute the implications of this endorsement.
In this context, the administration’s strategy towards far-right wings of the Republican Party seems deliberate. Under Trump’s watch, administration officials undertook actions that served to embolden and empower Nazi-glorifying elements. ICE prosecutor James Rodden in Texas was reported to have operated an anonymous social media account that lauded Hitler. He further announced that “America is a white nation.” Besides such bombastic claims, there are quieter, more systemic trends at play here, namely the continuing normalization of extremist views within ranks of government.
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, issued a firm statement condemning this despicable trend. She commanded the stage from a powerful podium which declared in big bright letters, “One of ours, all of yours.” This slogan evokes a dangerous history, reminiscent of a Nazi agenda that sought to separate and destroy by first dehumanizing the other.
Dalton Henry Stout, founder of the neo-Nazi Aryan Freedom Network, expressed support for Trump, stating that he “awakened a lot of people to the issues they‘ve been raising for years.” He went even further by saying, “Our side won the election. This one line encapsulates just how far extremists like these think that Trump’s presidency legitimized their discourse and goals.
Trump pardons Ed Martin, the pardon attorney at the Trump Department of Justice, who was seen at multiple events with January 6 insurrectionist Timothy Hale-Cusanelli. Martin described Hale-Cusanelli as an “amazing guy,” an “extraordinary leader” and a “great friend.” In fact, Hale-Cusanelli was described by federal prosecutors as a “Nazi sympathizer” who went so far as to wear a “Hitler mustache” at his place of work.
We must remember that official government accounts under the Trump administration posted Nazi propaganda and memes across social media channels. This is more than just personal conduct and rhetoric. In addition to the dehumanizing language used to demonize migrants, these aesthetics heavily favored fascist aesthetics. A 2018 recruitment poster from Trump’s Department of Homeland Security portrayed an Uncle Sam-like figure staring down a crossroads. Those arrows were labeled “invasion” and “cultural decline.” This imagery is almost identical to a racist flyer from 1978. It was penned by former leftist Christian pastor turned influential neo-Nazi ideologue William Gayley Simpson.
Trump’s personal life also revealed troubling affiliations. His first wife alleged that he had a volume of Hitler’s speeches stored in a bookcase next to his bed. Such revelations provide insight into the underlying beliefs that may have influenced his political decisions and rhetoric throughout his presidency.
The third being that the Trump administration, especially in its first term, received a lot of support from extremist groups. Its policies and major public pronouncements unabashedly catered to the ideologies of these groups. The administration’s social media groyper-like rhetoric often dehumanized migrants, calling them an “invasion” or “infestation.” This strategy only further established the relationship between governance and inflammatory speech.
The U.S. Department of Labor once tweeted “America is for Americans,” a phrase that echoes nationalist sentiments reminiscent of fascist propaganda. This method parallels larger patterns witnessed during all of Trump’s presidency, as vitriolic rhetoric took precedent in political dialogue.