By associating symbols of Western civilization with Nazism, leftists like Tom Nichols are carrying on the work of actual Nazi propaganda.
In the approximately millionth article by a left-wing hack comparing Trump and his followers to Nazis, Tom Nichols, whom Wikipedia laughably describes as an “academic,” resorted to the last refuge of the limp-wristed scoundrel — fashion criticism.
Nichols’ piece, lazily titled ‘The Republican Party Has a Nazi Problem,” hits the ground running with its accusation that a Trump administration official’s choice of dress represents a sartorial signifier of latent Nazism:
Over the past few months, during his agency’s chaotic crackdowns in Chicago and Minneapolis, the U.S. Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino has worn an unusual uniform: a wide-lapel greatcoat with brass buttons and stars along one sleeve. It looks like it was taken right off the shoulders of a Wehrmacht officer in the 1930s. Bovino’s choice of garment is more than tough-guy cosplay (German media noted the aesthetic immediately). The coat symbolizes a trend: The Republicans, it seems, have a bit of a Nazi problem.
The rest is the usual bland mix of straw men, out-of-context quotes or posts, and outright hoaxes that we’ve come to expect from the last decade of attempts by the propaganda press to smear MAGA as a band of latter-day National Socialists. But Nichols’ choice to zero in on the Trump administration’s fashion sense raises an interesting point about aesthetics in our culture.
Now, of course, only Nazis and other right-wing authoritarians have ever worn greatcoats. It definitely hasn’t been a standard piece of military dress for a couple of centuries. If you don’t believe Nichols, peruse these images of infamous Nazi sympathizers like Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bernard Montgomery, and George S. Patton in their *gasp!* fascistic greatcoats!