Trump Campaign T-shirts Condemned for Displaying 'Nazi-Inspired' Symbol
By: BRENDAN COLE
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Social media users have condemned merchandise promoting President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, saying it is reminiscent of Nazi imagery.
Available for both men and women, a 100-percent cotton T-shirt retailing for $30 carries the words "America First" above an image of an eagle looking to its left with spread out wings and its talons holding a circular version of the American flag.
Available on Trump's re-election campaign website, the product description says that it is "proudly made in the USA" and appeals to would-be buyers to show their support for re-electing the incumbent president, with the message: "Let everyone know who you are voting for in 2020.
"We finally have a president that puts America first. America is strong again, safe again, great again," it adds.
Twitter users say that the position of the eagle is uncomfortably close to the national insignia of Nazi Germany.
Adolf Hitler ordered a stylized eagle combined with the Nazi swastika to become the national emblem, which can be referred to as the Reichsadler or the Nazi eagle.
It features the bird looking to its right with its wings spread, and its talons holding a wreath with a Nazi swastika inside. After World War Two, the imagery was adopted by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists worldwide, according to the Anti Defamation League.
The eagle has been an American symbol for more than two centuries but the version designed in 1782 has an olive branch in its right talon representing peace and a scroll in its beak with the motto E Pluribus Unum, meaning "one out of many."
Trump's new logo looks almost looks familiar. Where else have i seen that eagle style standing on a circle? pic.twitter.com/2H8xrVd6Hs
— P A C E (@pesachlattin) July 1, 2020
Trump & Pence are proudly displaying a Nazi-inspired shirt on their official campaign website.
They are promoting genocidal imagery yet again a just days after President Trump retweeted a video of a supporter chanting white power.
— Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) July 1, 2020
The group Bend the Arc: Jewish Action tweeted: "Trump & Pence are proudly displaying a Nazi-inspired shirt on their official campaign website. They are promoting genocidal imagery yet again—just days after President Trump retweeted a video of a supporter chanting 'white power.'"
PACE tweeted an image of the Trump logo with the Nazi imagery next to each other and wrote to his 24,000 followers: "Trump's new logo looks almost looks familiar. Where else have I seen that eagle style standing on a circle?" Among the almost 8,000 people who shared his tweet was the former director of the CIA, General Michael Hayden whose response was: "Holy sh*t."
The group of Republicans opposing Trump, The Lincoln Project, was equally succinct with its opinion of the T-Shirt, tweeting: "Come. On." Tom Nichols from the Lincoln project tweeted: "This is not some standard American eagle, this is a Trump graphics guy thinking he's being clever and trolling the world by saying "mayyyybe it's close."
John Arovosis tweeted to his 106,000 followers: "Trump's campaign website has a new t-shirt design. If it looks familiar to you, you're not alone."
Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign and the Anti Defamation League for comment. In a statement to the Daily Caller , the Trump campaign dismissed the allegations as "moronic" and said there was a long American legacy of using the bald eagle to represent the country.
In June, Facebook removed Trump adverts that featured a Nazi symbol. Trump's campaign team said that the inverted red triangle, similar to the one the Nazis used to label opponents, was aimed at the far-left activist group antifa, which Trump has accused of starting riots at street protests that followed the death in police custody of George Floyd.
We report, you decide...
Some people will find something bad no matter where they look....
It all goes back to the first Reich - the Holy Roman Empire which Hitler wanted to emulate.
The Speaker's Seal of the US House of Representatives is based on the House Mace first designed in 1789, long before
Nazi's appeared. It appears that the Nazi's took symbolism from Rome, the US, France & England, not the other way around.
You know they aren't going to read your history lesson. Somebody's got it in his head that he has to counter Ender's article with trash
It does very closely resemble the nazi crest. You have to wonder where they got the idea if not from that. Obviously many US crests have eagles on them, but the claws are usually reaching out to the side to grab something symbolic. If a circle is involved, it usually surrounds the eagle.
By the way, if anyone is interested in some trivia, the crest in question more closely resembles the Parteiadler, which was the Party Eagle. The Reichadler faces in the other direction. The more you know . . .
Another one under fire is a fashion brand in London,
Is this supposed to be satire? I don't see a satire tag? The image on the T is a stock image from vector stock anyone can use -
I actually never would have given the logo a second thought.
Gotta love social media.
The Boy London brand logo looks a lot more like it.
So what you're saying is that trmp's campaign is so unimaginative they have to go to a website and look for an emblem instead of designing one of their own
Melania probably designed it. Adding trademark infringement to plagiarism.
Unimaginative, yes. Nazi symbolism, no.
I think it is Ivanka and not Malenia who participates in trademark Infringement and is currently being investigated for it.
Not sure, but the lawyers are from Switzerland.
Oh - I don't know . Now if that eagle was grabbing a little kitty cat in it's talons - now that would be an appropriate emblem for Trump.
I would be horrified!
Now come on - "grab" "little kitty" ...
stop it! stop it! stop it!
Wait....I just got it. Thumbs up, Adam!
I just now got that too. Took me a while... Haha
I see I'm going to have to develop a program of study for both you and Ender.
1. Satire 101 "And overview of basic satirical devices"
2. Genteel Elevated Insults 201. "You are up the proverbial tributary with a non standard means of propulsion."
3. CIA: Manual for PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS IN GUERRILLA WARFARE (This is just a beginner's primer but we have to start somewhere. I think Guevara is a little advanced for you at this time. )
See 6.1.4
I've got my notebook and my pencil, Teacher!
It should have a Big Mac in the other talon.
Maybe, but I think he is saving that for an award to replace the Medal of Freedom.
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Big Mac Combo.
With french fry clusters.