The Atlantic Out Loud That 1930s Feeling
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Mar 10, 2026 A look at recent incidents tying Nazi imagery and rhetoric to Republican figures and agencies. Discussion of a Border Patrol coat that alarmed German media and other troubling symbols in public life. Traces historical shifts since the 1990s that opened space for extreme tactics. Examines institutional weaknesses and what political tactics might push back.
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State Messaging Echoing Third Reich Tropes
- Government messaging adopted echoes of Nazi phrasing and aesthetics, from DHS music choices to Labor Department banners.
- Phrases like "America is for Americans" mirrored "Germany for the Germans" and used a Reich-like font.
Meme Reference To Neo‑Nazi Literature
- The White House posted a Trump meme captioned "Which way, Greenland man?" referencing a neo-Nazi book title.
- That meme echoed William Gailey Simpson's 1978 neo-Nazi book Which Way, Western Man.
Denial And External Recognition Of The Problem
- Accusations of Nazi pantomime are met with denials, but even fringe figures like Laura Loomer call out a GOP Nazi problem.
- Such cross-spectrum recognition suggests the issue is visible and contested.