Critics say that President Donald Trump's political power relies on propaganda to indoctrinate its supporters, from gassing peaceful protesters for a photo-op with a bible to the veneer of patriotism on display at his rallies.
Another favorite tactic of Trump and his campaign is posting cinematic videos of what they believe are Trump's most successful achievements.
Such was the case when Trump returned from Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday evening after three days of supplemental oxygen treatment and cocktails of powerful drugs.
Though still infected with the virus that's killed over 200 thousand Americans, Trump arrived back at the White House and defiantly removed his mask before stepping inside.
The Trump campaign made sure it was a production.
Watch below.
pic.twitter.com/Sn4yTTg8eB
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2020
The use of visual propaganda to alter public opinion is centuries old and it's allowed some of the most violent and disastrous leaders to rise to power.
Journalist Matt Danzico took note of this when comparing the video to a compilation of shots from the first 10 minutes of the 1935 Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will.
I split screened shots from Leni Riefenstahl's 1935 Nazi propaganda film, Triumph of Will, with @realDonaldTrump's video of his return from the hospital. Not sure if this was intentional, but it's eerily similar. His media team looking to history for inspiration, perhaps? pic.twitter.com/ZsZfHLttdL
— matt danzico (@mattdanzico) October 6, 2020
Worth mentioning that these are a collection of shots from Triumph of the Will. Meaning, the @WhiteHouse's film is playing out in real-time. But the shots on the right are scattered throughout the first ten minutes of the two-hour-long propoganda film.
— matt danzico (@mattdanzico) October 6, 2020
Both pieces feature each country's leaders—Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler—exiting aircraft and waving to cameras from their residences. Some shots—like the closeups of the aircraft wheels and their landings—are eerily similar.
People were somewhat disturbed.
Probably about as intentional as 1,488 children and 14-word statements from DHS beginning "We Must Secure..." and fourteen Trump ads featuring inverted red triangles and reappropriating the White Aryan Resistance "OK" sign and bringing in all those "population control" advocates https://t.co/EKZIEN0iLs
— Brooke Binkowski (@brooklynmarie) October 6, 2020
Watch this. Last night's film didn't just feel like fascist propaganda. They literally copied a Nazi propaganda film. https://t.co/9hr5k9cITF
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) October 6, 2020
Normally I'd say this kind of comparison was unfair, but Jesus... https://t.co/2hYN0l5WqA
— Jon Cryer (@MrJonCryer) October 6, 2020
Oh boy. That's very strange, https://t.co/QQebzXps2L
— devon sawa (@DevonESawa) October 7, 2020
Holy smokes https://t.co/xuBwEOtDfU
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) October 6, 2020
Others dismissed the video, noting that the most similar shots from Triumph of the Will were spliced together, not playing out in real time.
I have no idea who you are, but what you edited together is as much propaganda as either of those other pieces. Shameful to purposely mislead like that.
— Masked (not very good) Singer (@jeffbutlerto) October 7, 2020
wow it's just like triumph of the will if you completely re-edit triumph of the will
— athleisurewear enthusiast 2: autumnal splendor (@NotMyLinkedIn) October 6, 2020
I think the presentation is a bit misleading to be honest. I think you could present a lot of films of someone arriving at a destination and the montage would look very similar.
— Mark Lees (@WinterfellT) October 7, 2020
This is what's wrong with media. https://t.co/N6c79bde8I pic.twitter.com/1CpGhC5E3B
— Blake DeWitt (@blake_dewitt) October 7, 2020
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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images