It’s happened too many times to be a coincidence. Here’s a roundup of all the examples we’ve found so far – plus one that probably isn’t
Donald Trump’s US Government has used white nationalist slogans and messages too many times for it to be a coincidence.
It started with the Department of Homeland Security, but has spread to several departments – and even the White House itself.
At first glance, this looks like an alarmist – even conspiratorial – thing to suggest. And to begin with, it was all a little ambiguous. In his first term, photos would emerge of members of his administration making the “OK” hand gesture – which was seen by many as code for “White Power”. Then there was the rally on the day of Trump’s inauguration, where Elon Musk stood in front of thousands of his fans and made a gesture which he insisted meant “my heart goes out to you”, but looked to many like something much more sinister. And in his first year since being unexpectedly returned to office, there have been too many dogwhistles, nods, coded signs and outright lifts from the rhetoric of historical racists to discount it.
Here’s a roundup of all the examples we’ve found so far.
‘Manifest destiny’ dogwhistles
The dogwhistles started in July, when the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) posted a painting of a family of white homesteaders during the Westward expansion of the US. There’s a black woman, presumably a servant, in the background.
The tweet’s text reads: “Remember your Homeland’s Heritage.”
This example could, in isolation, be considered a relatively innocuous piece of patriotism. But it was followed in July by this – a tweet that read: “A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending.”
The accompanying image is a painting called “American Progress” by John Gast, which depicts Native Americans being driven out of their homes by a caravan of white people. Above the homesteaders there appears an angelic figure in a white robe, suggesting their “manifest destiny” over North America.
The phrase “manifest destiny” has deep meaning in American history – and was used to justify the Westward expansion in the 19th Century, despite the consequences for Native American people.
It’s the belief that that American settlers were “destined” to expand – and that this belief was both obvious and certain.
‘Which Way American Man’
In August, the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) Twitter account posted a recruitment Tweet for ICE agents.
The text read: “Which way, American man?” It accompanied a painting of Uncle Sam at a crossroads, with the different destinations marked as “cultural decline”, “homeland”, “service”, “invasion”, “opportunity” and “law and order”.
The phrase “Which way, American man?” is a pretty clear reference to “Which way, western man”, the title of a 1978 book by neo-Nazi William Gayley Simpson. The book contains passages arguing Hitler was right, and calling for violence against Jews in order to “break their grip” on “the White man’s world“.
‘America for Americans’
In October, the DHS Twitter account posted a tweet that read: “America for Americans. We are asleep no longer.”
The phrase has long been linked to what could charitably be referred to as America’s “nativist” movement. From the 1920s it started to be used by white supremacist groups, chiefly, the Ku Klux Klan.
‘One Homeland. One People. One Heritage’
In January, the Department of Labour posted a video on Twitter, along with the phrase “One Homeland. One People. One Heritage.”
It didn’t take long for people to point out the slogan’s echoes of “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” (One People, One Realm, One Leader), a Nazi slogan.
We’ll have our home again
In another ICE recruitment ad posted by DHS, the phrase “We’ll have our home again” appears prominently.
The phrase is the title of an anthem, popular among the “Mannerbund”, a white separatist, white nationalist men’s movement. The phrase, and song, has also been used by the Proud Boys and UK based racist group Patriotic Alternative.
Which way, Greenland man?
The US Government gave another nod to American Nazi William Gayley Simpson’s racist book ‘Which Way, Western Man?’ – and this time it came from the top.
The White House posted a meme, apparently AI generated, of two dogsleds at a crossroads. One way shows the White House, the other shows a dark nightmare landscape with the flags of China and Russia flying above.
The image itself is based on a popular Digimon meme. But the slogan attached reads: “Which way, Greenland man?” – another clear reference to Simpson’s title.
A note about ‘One of ours, all of yours”
There was a bit of excitement online this week after Kristi Noem gave a speech behind a podium that bore the slogan “One of ours, all of yours”. The implication of the slogan is a justification for collective punishment, which is banned under the Geneva Convention. However despite a rash of claims online, it doesn’t appear to originate in Nazi Germany, and we haven’t found anything conclusive linking it to any particular group.