'Despicable': Republicans slam 'dirtbag' Trump for cribbing off Nazi Germany

Former President Donald Trump's Truth Social account caused a stir on late Monday evening by promoting a video that, among other things, shows a newspaper headline announcing a hypothetical Trump presidential victory clearing the way for a "unified reich" — an apparent reference to Nazi Germany, which famously referred to its own dictatorship as the "Third Reich" to signify it was the third great empire to unite the Germanic people.

The video promptly earned condemnation on social media, not just from Democrats and media outlets, but from some disaffected Republicans as well.

"Every American should not only vote against — but fight against — any dirtbag mimicking Nazism," posted former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA), who after being ousted in his primary became an outspoken Trump critic and did advisory work for the House January 6 Committee. "This video should be a talking point for questions posed to every Republican candidate. Wonder if New York Times is going to do another article about Biden’s age today. Coalition of the Sane better step up."

Former Trump White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews was similarly appalled. "Trump’s continued use of Nazi rhetoric is un-American and despicable," she wrote. "Yet too many Americans are brushing off the glaring red flags about what could happen if he returns to the White House. When someone shows you who they are, believe them."

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While the exact origins of the video are unclear, and the Trump campaign has denied any involvement from Trump in creating it, it is not the first time the former president has landed in hot water for his apparent closeness to Nazism.

During his term, Trump spurred outrage after he defended the neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville in 2017, saying that both the Nazis and those protesting them had "very fine people" in their ranks. After leaving office, he again caused explosive controversy in 2022 by having dinner with neo-Nazi activist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. Meanwhile, Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly has revealed that Trump would privately praise Adolf Hitler for his economic accomplishments and the loyalty he supposedly inspired in his subordinates.