President Donald Trump‘s campaign is facing fierce backlash after it released a shirt baring the image of an eagle which some believed resembles the Nazi Eagle, a symbol that is listed as hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League. With a price tag of $30 on the official Trump campaign website, the “America First Tee” is described as being the perfect way for people to show their “support for re-electing President Donald J. Trump.” The description also reads, “America is strong again, safe again, GREAT again.”
The President of the United States is campaigning for reelection with a Nazi symbol. Again.
On the left: an official Trump/Pence “America First” tee.
On the right; the Iron Eagle, the official symbol of the Nazi party.
— Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) July 1, 2020
⁰It’s not an accident. Bigotry is their entire brand. pic.twitter.com/mSOBxwf7Wa
Situated between the phrases “America First” and “Trump 2020,” however, sits an eagle that many believe more closely resembles that of the Nazi Eagle than the one that takes center focus on the United States seal. As many have pointed out, just like the Nazi Eagle, the image on the campaign shirt sees an Eagle clutching a circle. In the imagery for the Nazi symbol, the eagle can be seen clutching a similar circle, which over the years has had a swastika, SS bolts and other symbols inside.
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Although the Trump campaign denied the resemblance in a statement to the Daily Caller, calling the allegations “moronic” and stating the symbol was derived from the American Eagle, some on social media are taking those words with a grain of salt. Across Twitter, a heated debate has been sparked over the shirt. Keep scrolling to see what the controversy taking place on social media in response to the shirt.
I’ve been pretty hard on people who make the Nazi comparisons around here, but Christ, even *I* saw this one right away. 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.” https://t.co/bm6gWLVSgl
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 2, 2020
Interesting – Trump also chose the one looking towards the Right – the Party symbol, instead of the one looking to the Left (the State, the Past) to represent his campaign.
— random facts girl (@soychicka) July 2, 2020
Not a coincidence. That’s some sophisticated symbolic fuckery there. pic.twitter.com/pi4IycyJ5F
Come. On. pic.twitter.com/VtfgrM8hIW
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) July 2, 2020
Yet another Nazi symbol people. This is not an accident, this is not a mistake. The Trump administration is a fascist regime
— Theodore (@bigdaddy93123) July 1, 2020
Who had American fashion inspired by Nazi imagery and promoted by Trump on their Trumptopia 2020 Bingo card?
— ★彡Breiterbart ★彡 (@breiterbart) July 2, 2020
I don’t think Trump is knowledgeable enough to do a nazi secret handshake, but I think his graphic designers know their audience https://t.co/lXJkpXs8rI
— Gabe Hardman (@hardman_gabe) July 2, 2020
But the eagle is a symbol of America so that is stretching it too far to make a Nazi connection in this case. We have a brass eagle on our wall and we are definitely not white supremacists. pic.twitter.com/mUlh5DfkwY
— AngieBourg (@BourgAngie) July 2, 2020
It’s not the Eagle. It’s the eagle perched atop a circle with a symbol
— McRibb (@McRibbKC) July 2, 2020
I dislike Trump as much as the next spoon, but I am usually skeptical of these Nazi imagery comparisons. This one though is too close, and is unlike any American eagle I’ve ever seen.
— No Malarkey Spoon (@Political_spoon) July 2, 2020
In case y’all still don’t get why this is a little warcry against literally anyone who isn’t pro-Trump, American citizens included
— Curly Queer 🤬🖕✌ (@CrossandCrew) July 2, 2020
The American eagle faces left, the Nazi eagle faces right, as does Trump’s eagle. Y’all gotta start lookin’ with your eyes instead of your mouth smh pic.twitter.com/aluSmjEjKC
In fairness America is pretty big on the eagle iconography? … bit of a jump ??
— Mr Vanderlay (@vanderlay) July 1, 2020
It might have been except the iconographer made choices that specifically veered away from common US Eagle iconography. In US imagery, the wings are almost always up, not flat and it’s *harder* to do what they did than to just copy the US seal so it was an international choice.
— girl who wishes her name weren’t Karen😔 (@Karen_Bethany_) July 1, 2020
To be fair, the Trump Administration bases most of their logos on previously existing brands, to tie in to the same emotional reaction. pic.twitter.com/9BmFWlEjIR
— John (@HPumperton) July 2, 2020
It sure doesn’t help their case here that “America First!” Was literally the slogan of American Nazi sympathizers in WW2 who were insistent that we shouldn’t join the allies in the war. As we’ve all seen or said a fucktrillion times before in relation to Trumpism.
— Chupicron (@ChupiCron) July 2, 2020