Donald Trump told supporters on Monday that he is “not a Nazi,” using a rally in the final week of a contentious White House race to deny accusations of authoritarianism, including claims from a former top aide who labeled him a fascist.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk attended former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden wearing a striking hat. The black hat was embroidered with “Make America Great Again” in blackletter, a jagged typeface often associated with heavy-metal band logos.
“I’m dark gothic MAGA,” Musk said.
According to a FastCompany Magazine report, Cheryl Jacobsen, an adjunct professor of lettering at the University of Iowa, explained that blackletter originated in Germany as a folk style associated with the Bible. Variants of black were used throughout medieval Europe and continue to be employed by various cultures in diverse contexts.
The report further said that the Fraktur font was utilised in Nazi propaganda and even in Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf. According to Florian Hardwig, managing editor of the Fonts In Use typography archive, the Nazis later disavowed this font after rumours suggested a Jewish individual had created it. While it fell out of favour, Fraktur remains a potent symbol of Nazi ideology for many people, which likely contributed to the immediate shock it elicited among users.
In a post on X, a netizen wrote, “Elon posted his MAGA hat, which uses the Fraktur font, popular in nazi Germany. He wore this at a rally meant to evoke the 1939 nazi rally at Madison Square Garden.”
“Hey, you know the hat Elon Musk wore whilst campaigning at the political rally of the fascist candidate they openly support, in alignment with their own frequently stated ethno-nationalist fascist political views? well I dont want to alarm you but I just googled the font and,” another user wrote.
Democrat Harris, who has accused Trump of stoking divisions, was in Michigan on Monday while Republican Trump headed to Georgia, another of the decisive swing states, where he said critics are accusing him of being a modern-day “Hitler.”
“The newest line from Kamala and her campaign is that everyone who isn’t voting for her is a Nazi,” Trump told a a rally in Atlanta. “I’m not a Nazi. I’m the opposite of a Nazi,” he said as reported by French news agency AFP.
More than 47 million Americans have already cast ballots in early voting – including outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden, who voted Monday after waiting in line near his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.