The U.S. Department of Education took down a social media video after viewers flagged that it appeared to equate Donald Trump with Adolf Hitler. The agency removed the post from all platforms Wednesday following strong criticism over the clip’s actual context.
Education Department removes video after it allegedly compared Donald Trump to Hitler
The video began with a scene from the 2017 film Darkest Hour. Actor Gary Oldman, as Winston Churchill, says: “You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth.” The edit then cuts to a rapid montage of Trump clips and photos. A caption reading “No one does it like us” accompanied the post, along with a tiger emoji.
X users recognized the source material. A community note attached to the post stated plainly: “This clip is from the film ‘Darkest Hour,’ and the ‘tiger’ in this clip refers to Adolf Hitler.” The Education Department confirmed the removal in an email to HuffPost.
“The video, based on a trending sound on TikTok, was created and posted by an ED staffer who did not understand the context of the video. The Department has removed it from all social media platforms,” a spokesperson said.
Commentator Pedro L. Gonzalez blasted the agency on X, accusing officials of using dog whistles. “The ‘tiger’ referenced in this clip is Hitler, and the dweebs in the Trump-Vance administration are using it to mean Trump,” Gonzalez wrote. He added that the post appeared to wink at fascist imagery while maintaining deniability.
The incident reignited a broader discussion about Donald Trump’s political style. Academics have long debated whether the former and current president fits fascist definitions. Critics cite his role in the January 6 Capitol attack and his aggressive immigration policies as warning signs. Others argue labels like authoritarian populist or far-right nationalist fit better.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
