More and more politicians are making indirect references to Nazism. Should we be worried?

Ambiguity in gestures and words or claiming ignorance of the historical context are the most used strategies to normalize allusions to Nazism.

In recent months, several high-profile political leaders have been seen apparently making Nazi allusions. In many cases, subliminal messages send indirect signals to his supporters. These signals are emitted at a frequency that most listeners cannot perceive, but which are significant to those seeking confirmation of their own opinions.

When confronted, individuals using these tactics often respond with strong, angry rebuttals. After emphasizing their shock at being associated with Nazi images or ideasthey generally go on the attack. They express indignation and moral revolt. Then they demand an apology.

These hostile counterattacks often put their critics on the defensive. If the allusion to the Nazis becomes too obvious to deny, the perpetrators usually claim ignorance of the historical association and insist that it was all just a joke. an innocent mistake.

This is the strategy behind subliminal messages: strategic ambiguity followed by a belligerent counterattack and, if necessary, plausible deniability.

Among the many recent cases of Nazi allusions, the Elon Musk’s outstretched arm salute — a gesture he repeated twice at a rally to celebrate Donald Trump’s second inauguration — is one of the most notorious.

Far from denying that he made the gestures, Musk went on the attack, dismissing the criticism as “pure propaganda”. He argued that critics in the Democratic Party were leading “ideological witch hunts” and needed “better dirty tricks” because references to Adolf Hitler are “very lame.” Musk also made a series of Nazi-themed puns on social media.

A month later, Steve BannonDonald Trump’s former chief strategist and key figure in the MAGA movement, also gave an outstretched arm salute at the conservative political action conference. Unlike Musk, Bannon denied any Nazi intentions, describing the gesture as a “wave”. Although Bannon insisted that this was not a Nazi salute, his critics’ outrage may have helped him send a signal to Nazi sympathizersreinforcing their loyalty and support.

Within a few weeks of 2025, two important figures in the MAGA movement found themselves involved in controversies related to alleged Nazi salutes. For years, Trump flirted with Nazi images, offered comfort and even pardons to far-right extremists, and showed himself reluctant to criticize white supremacists. In November 2025, Trump reposted an AI-generated image of himself in front of something that closely resembled a Nazi eagle emblem (but without the swastika).

He called political opponents “worms” and argued that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country”. These words are associated with Hitler. Trump has also been quoted as saying that “Hitler did some good things” and asking American generals to more closely resemble those of the Third Reich.

The dictator’s handbook

In Germany, subliminal signals are a particularly sinister aspect of far-right politics, communicating coded messages that appear to convey a secret admiration for the Nazis. These messages are often innocent enough to go unnoticed by most, but iconic enough to resonate with others.

Em 2024, Björn Höckeone of the leading figures of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, was found guilty of consciously use the Nazi slogan “Alles für Deutschland” (Everything for Germany) at a rally. This slogan is prohibited by German law. It was the central motto of the SA, or Storm Troopers, Hitler’s paramilitary group during the Weimar Republic. Höcke insisted on his innocence, claiming to be unaware of the links to Nazism.

And if we re-examine Hitler’s own strategy, his speech to workers at the Siemens Dynamo Works in November 1933 never mentioned the word “Jews”. When Hitler spoke of a “small rootless international clique”, his supporters knew exactly who he was referring to. Once Hitler consolidated the Nazis’ power, it gave them, and many others, permission to vilify and scapegoat Jews more explicitly. In practice, the granting of permission facilitated the gradual usurpation of power.

Although there are substantial differences between the Third Reich and contemporary politics, they also seem there are worrying overlaps. Rather than ensuring that their messages would never be mistaken for Nazi references, some leaders seem comfortable using subliminal signals and strategic ambiguity, hostile counterattacks and plausible deniability.

Some Nazi allusions can be seen as innocent mistakes or historical accidents, but their persistence begins to look like more than a mere coincidence.