Donald Trump deleted a video posted to his Truth Social account that included a reference to a "unified reich" after President Joe Biden's campaign and others criticized the use of language often associated with the Nazi regime.
The 30-second video, which was posted on Monday afternoon, was no longer available on the website by early morning on Tuesday.
It described America's achievements the day after Trump's victory - and listed among them "the establishment of a unified reich."
According to Trump's people, the video was created by an outside party unrelated to the campaign.
In the video that caused the uproar, the announcer says: "What will happen after Donald Trump wins? What will happen to America?" At two points in the video, text below a larger headline reads: "INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED... DRIVEN BY THE CREATION OF A UNIFIED REICH." The text is somewhat blurred, making it difficult to make out at first glance.
The meaning of the word "reich" in German is kingdom or realm, and the word is mainly associated with the rule of Nazi tyrant Adolf Hitler, who described the period of Nazi Germany as the "Third Reich." The words from the video appear to be taken from Hitler's manifesto, "Mein Kampf."
Trump has made a series of inflammatory remarks on the campaign trail, calling political enemies "vermin" and saying immigrants who entered the nation illegally were "poisoning the blood of our country." Those drew heavy criticism from Democrats and some historians who said they echoed Nazi rhetoric.
U.S. President Joe Biden responded to the "unified reich" post during a fundraiser in Boston on Tuesday.
"This is Hitler's language, not America's," Biden said.
Biden's campaign also referenced the "unified reich" video: "Donald Trump is not playing games. He is telling America exactly what he intends to do if he returns to power: a dictator's rule over a 'United Reich'."
The unified reich video Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account
(Video: Reuters)
The White House also condemned the video shared on Trump's account.
"It is abhorrent, sickening, and disgraceful for anyone to promote content associated with Germany's Nazi government under Adolf Hitler," said Senior Deputy White House Communications Director Andrew Bates. He added, "Any antisemitic dog whistling is dangerous and offensive — and profoundly un-American."