Labor Department Faces Backlash Over Post Echoing Historic Nazi Slogan

The U.S. Department of Labor is under intense scrutiny after its official account on X posted a short video Saturday that many viewers say mirrors a well-known Nazi slogan. The slideshow, set against a statue of George Washington and interspersed with paintings of key moments in American history, carried the caption: “One Homeland. One People. One Heritage. Remember who you are, American.”

The wording drew immediate comparisons to “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” (“One People, One Country, One Leader”), a phrase widely used by Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist Party. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, that motto functioned as a rallying cry for German unity under Nazi rule during the 1930s and 1940s.

Critics from across the political spectrum accused the Labor Department of amplifying extremist rhetoric. Former NASA astronaut and current Democratic congressional candidate Terry Virts wrote on X that the post effectively replicated the Nazi chant. Additional condemnation came from union leaders, including National Nurses United, which called the message “fascist propaganda.”

The Labor Department, led by Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has not issued a public statement beyond a brief comment provided earlier to another outlet. A spokesperson at that time said the social-media campaign aimed to “celebrate American workers and the American Dream.” The agency did not answer follow-up questions from reporters seeking clarification.

Experts See Pattern in Official Messaging

Bill Braniff, executive director of American University’s Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab, said the post cannot be viewed in isolation. “When you look at this one post in the context of all the others, it’s not an accident,” Braniff told CNBC. He argued that asserting “one heritage” contradicts the United States’ legacy as a nation of immigrants and implicitly separates citizens into insiders and outsiders.

Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, voiced similar concerns. While acknowledging that each post might be explained away individually, Lewis noted that repeated use of phrases linked to white supremacist movements raises questions about intent. “At a certain point, you can’t even really call it a dog whistle; it’s just a whistle,” he said in an email quoted by CNBC.

Additional Controversial Posts

This incident follows a string of government social-media messages that have prompted allegations of flirting with far-right symbolism:

• White House dog-sled cartoon: On Wednesday, ahead of diplomatic talks on President Donald Trump’s bid to purchase Greenland, the White House account posted an image of two sleds at a crossroads labeled “Which way, Greenland man?” Commentators linked the phrase to “Which Way Western Man?,” a 1978 white-nationalist book by William Gayley Simpson.
• DHS recruitment ads: Five months ago, the Department of Homeland Security shared an Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment graphic asking, “Which way, American man?” More recently, DHS posted another ICE image reading, “We’ll have our home again,” the title of a song attributed to a U.S. neo-Nazi group.
• QAnon reference: On Jan. 8, the Labor Department uploaded a photograph of President Trump saluting beneath the words “trust the plan,” a slogan frequently used by adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson dismissed criticism of the posts, telling CNBC that mainstream news outlets have become “a meme of their own” for labeling content they dislike as Nazi propaganda. Jackson described the accusation as “boring and tired.”

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Union Response and Engagement Metrics

Union leaders have intensified pressure on the Labor Department. Puneet Maharaj, executive director of National Nurses United, told The Guardian that the message served “a fascist, white supremacist agenda.” The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has not formally commented but is reportedly monitoring the situation.

Despite the controversy, the agency’s account has experienced a surge in engagement. The slogan video has amassed nearly 23 million views on X, making it one of the Labor Department’s most-seen posts.

Context of Growing Concern

The Southern Poverty Law Center noted that federal social-media channels began sharing what it calls “overt nationalist imagery” in June 2025, when DHS posted a cartoon encouraging citizens to report “foreign invaders” to ICE. Extremism researchers say the frequency of similar posts has increased, and open discussion of them on neo-Nazi forums indicates the messaging is being received by target audiences.

Critics maintain that such online material can embolden fringe groups and normalize extremist language within mainstream discourse. While government officials reject claims of intentional signaling, researchers argue that repeated overlap with white supremacist slogans warrants closer examination.

As of Monday evening, the Labor Department’s contentious video remains live. No federal agency has announced an internal review of social-media protocols, and Congress has not scheduled any hearings on the matter. Observers across academia, organized labor and civil-rights organizations continue to track future posts for additional references to far-right themes.

Crédito da imagem: Kevin Carter | Getty Images