Yesterday In History March 28, 1935-- Leni Riefenstahl releases Nazi Propaganda Film, "Triumph des Willens" (Triumph Of The Will) -- Was This The Model For Trump's Campaign Kickoff In Waco?

 

Yesterday In History March 28, 1935--Leni Riefenstahl releases Nazi Propaganda Film, "Triumph des Willens" (Triumph Of The Will)

Was This The Model For Trump's Campaign Kickoff In Waco? 

Part 1-- A Stunning Realization--

Last week, "The Rosen Report" posted an article on the political and security implications of Trump's plan to launch his 2024 campaign with a big event in Waco, where I stated the obvious fact that Waco was symbolic for the hard core anti-government white nationalists who rioted on January 6th, and who represent the most fanatical element of Trump's political base. I emphasized that this fact should put all relevant law enforcement and security agencies on high alert, as this was likely the kick-off for a planned armed insurgency for the most radicalized of Trump's supporters.

As we drew closer to the event, an eerie feeling, an element of unease like a wispy memory was bothering me, which took the form of the question, "why is he doing it at an airport?" Why not hold it at a football stadium or large convention center? But I didn't pursue it, because at the time the city in which the event was staged seemed more important than its venue. 

Then the event happened, and my wife Martha remarked upon seeing the news coverage, "it reminds me of Riefenstahl's "Triumph Of The Will." I acknowledged her insight by agreeing, but again, I didn't pursue it because I was locked into seeing this as primarily a recruitment event for Trump's plan to unleash stochastic terrorism nation wide as his response to being indicted. 

Martha, to her credit didn't drop it, and pushed me to think about it and maybe write something on the subject. As of the Tuesday after Saturday's Waco events, I was still a little "blocked," not quite seeing what Martha was seeing, and kind of dreading "going there." Then on Tuesday morning, I looked up that day's date on the "On This Day" history page which I regularly go to in order to see if something noteworthy had occurred, which I then might write about for Facebook or my blog. 

And there it was. 

March 28, 1935, Leni Riefenstahl released "Triumph Of The Will," the Nazi propaganda spectacular, which documented Hitler's triumphant return to Nuremberg as Germany's "Führer," bent on his twisted vision of uniting all German speaking Aryans into a conquering Empire known as the "Thousand Year Reich." It was the principal piece of propaganda around which Hitler organized his consolidation of power, and the nazification of German culture and daily life, among other things. The planned rally by torchlight at the giant outdoor stadium was in every respect an experiment in mass mind control in creating a new nazified religion for the German people. Complete with parades, music, displays and bonfires, military salutes and singing of the Horst Wessel song, a tribute to the dead Nazi Brownshirt who was their street brawler and became their leading martyr. 

Tuesday was the 88th anniversary of the release of that film. And Trump spoke in Waco just two days before it. 

For those who follow these things, the number "88" has great significance for Neo-Nazis. When they communicate in articles, social media posts, texts, etc, they often end their messages with the number 88. The eighth letter of the alphabet is "H." Two 8's is code for "Heil Hitler."

Now, one might dismiss this as coincidence, numerological gobbledygook, or a conspiracy theory on my part. The fact of Trump's chosen location, the Airport, and the anniversary of Riefenstahl's Nazi extravaganza might be written off in any number of ways. But, there are two things worth considering in this case. First is that the extreme obsession of modern Neo-Nazis with myths and symbols is their cultural footprint, because Nazism itself is a form of synthetic mystery religion, heavily steeped in the occult. The importance of imagery, pageantry, heroes and martyrs, traditions of warriors and Teutonic knights, the old writing and letters of their runic alphabet, dates of historic events and the places they happened, and the targets they choose as the scapegoats for their hate-filled actions, all are characteristic of the worldview of these Nazi cults. 

For example, the pro-Trump extreme right (or, more aptly, extreme "white") group CPAC, the "Conservative Political Action Caucus," a known swamp for the worst of the white supremacist and violence promoting GOP figures, had an event two years ago in which the stage design was a Runic symbol which was revived and used by the Nazis, called the "Odal Rune."

Secondly, as they would claim today in regard to the planning of the Waco event, the planners and spokesman incredulously tried to claim ignorance of any knowledge of the history of this symbol, and claimed that any similarity was purely coincidental. I'm certain that most thinking people would agree that this assertion is in every theoretical and practical way impossible. 

Part 2--Trump Has Always Admired Hitler, As Have His Close Advisors Miller And Bannon--

It is documented fact, thanks to Trump's deceased ex-wife Ivana, that Trump kept a book of Hitler's speeches on his night table. Likewise, General John Kelly, his former White House Chief of Staff revealed Trump's expressions of admiration for Hitler, saying "he did some good things," and voicing his frustration that America's Generals were not as loyal to him as were Hitler's to him. Additionally, when surveying the global scene and taking stock of the most brutal fascist dictatorships currently in power, one can ask the question, "which one among them are not subjects of admiration or close buddies for Trump and his people?"

Trump surrounds himself with those who have similar views, people who are ideological and political fascists who model their strategy on the rise of the Nazis in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, and other dictatorships from Franco to Pinochet. In the case of Steve Bannon, he is explicit on his admiration of Riefenstahl's "Triumph" and makes the comparison cited below in a book published previously titled "Insurgency."

["Steve Bannon compared Donald Trump’s infamous escalator ride to announce his candidacy for the White House to Triumph of the Will, the Nazi propaganda film made by Leni Riefenstahl, according to a book published on Tuesday.  In Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted, the New York Times reporter Jeremy W Peters shows the former campaign chair, White House strategist and close Trump ally repeatedly invoking Hitler when discussing the 45th president. Bannon has frequently been a source for books about Trump, often to his own detriment as well as that of his sometime boss."]

Bannon's remarks are far from the only ones which draw direct comparisons between Trump's staged public events, and Riefenstahl's film. During the end phase of the 2020 campaign, commentator P. J. Grishal  of "Forward" did a thorough report based on video analysis by filmmaker Matt Danzico of the orchestrated hospital discharge and return of Trump to the White House by helicopter, (after his severe bout with covid) and his climbing of the stairs to return to the East Wing as being consciously modeled on Riefenstahl's film. 

["In film theory, there’s something called the Kuleshov Effect, which teaches that juxtaposing images in sequence can suggest completely different reads of a shot.

The typical example is an image of a blank-faced man placed alongside an image of a baby in a casket, a pairing that makes viewers interpret the man’s expression as sad — but if the man is instead shown alongside a bowl of soup he reads as hungry. All film students learn this quirk of editing.

Most also watch Leni Riefenstahl’s 1935 Nazi propaganda film “Triumph of the Will.”

Now, a viral tweet comparing a montage from that film to a White House video of President Trump’s return to the presidential residence from Walter Reed Medical Center is testing the Kuleshov Effect’s premise — while drawing a troubling parallel.

Journalist and filmmaker Matt Danzico juxtaposed the images of Trump’s homecoming with shots from Riefenstahl’s film. The resemblance, when seen in a split screen, is striking, including similar shots of landing gears touching grass, close angles of Trump and Hitler disembarking from aircrafts and reverent up-tilted views of the two leaders waving from the balcony."]

Therefore, the proposition that Trump's campaign event was staged at the Waco airport and that how it was staged was explicitly modeled on Riefenstahl's film, cannot be dismissed as hyperbole. Trump even made sure that the song written by the jailed January 6th "MAGA martyrs," Trump's very own "Horst Wessels," was played for his audience. The individuals who currently shape his strategy and campaign themes explicitly draw upon this film in particular, and fascist political/cultural themes in general.  However, for the sake of a little overkill, we will delve into it ourselves to remove all doubt, then let you the reader draw your own conclusions. 

Part 3-- The Case Of Leni Riefenstahl

Leni Riefenstahl is vaunted as an artistic genius, a pioneer in filmmaking, and is somehow still barely tainted by her efforts on behalf of the Third Reich. She claimed to have been apolitical and washed her hands of the vast criminality of the regime she empowered, along with the monstrous individuals whom she helped brainwash. She, as much as anyone helped to consolidate the Nazis grip on power in the aftermath of Hitler's purge, "The Night Of The Long Knives."

There is an argument that goes, "you have to separate the artist from the person." If a genius is evil, that does not invalidate the contribution they make to art, science, and music, etc. This debate has existed for some time, for example, the ongoing efforts of Israeli Jews to not allow performances in Israel of Hitler's favorite composer, Richard Wagner. Wagner's operas explicitly adhere to the Teutonic myths and legends which were the core beliefs of Nazi racial mysticism, without ambiguity. 

There are likewise biologists and geneticists who uphold the value of Nazi scientists on eugenics, heredity and testing the limits on surviving extreme aversive conditions through the torture of prisoners for its "military value." Incredibly, there are some who believe Dr. Josef Mengele's experiments at Auschwitz with twins are of value. Nazi rocket scientists at the Penemunde research facility who designed the V-2 rocket went unpunished and were brought into the US space program. American eugenicists who were initially favorable to Hitler continued to promote racial theories of intelligence, such as Watson the DNA pioneer, and professors Shockley and Jensen of Harvard. And there were sociologists who studied the Nazis use of top down authority to control behavior and bring about paradigm changes which they found useful, which came out of American Ivy League universities and think tanks. 

My intent is not to restart that debate, but simply to add some perspective to the highly conflicted Riefenstahl's life's work as it applies to her film. One might argue that her technical achievements alone still stand as a valid example for today, but the question raised here as I see it is "in service of what?"  The fact that a revived version of Hitler's Nazi experiment as represented by the MAGA movement of today is drawing upon her work speaks volumes. She should have been put on trial for her role, but never was. She had a choice, as did many others who would not collaborate with the regime, but who tragically paid the highest price for their decisions. 

Part 4-- The Film, And Its Trump Sequel

"Triumph Of The Will" begins with a quasi-religious theme. It is a vision of the sky, with bounteous clouds obscuring the ground below, and then is revealed the image of "The Fûhrer's" airplane, emerging from the clouds and surrounded by bright light, creating the effect that he is descending from heaven. He is a messenger of God, a prophet, a leader, sent by the deities, in fact a near God himself. He is all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, he is Germany's savior.

The opening phase of Trump's campaign event is immersed in the same imagery, as closeup photos are taken of his private jumbo jet coming in for a landing, emblazoned with his name brand prominent on the fuselage.

Riefenstahl's next scene progresses to an aerial view of the city of Nuremberg as they near the site of the rally. Footage shows the thousands of people making their way to the stadium through the streets, to build the excitement and anticipation of the audience. 

Donald Trump upon his overflight of Waco ordered the same type of photos taken of the crowd and event location, which he then posted personally on his social media platform from the event as it was happening.

Riefenstahl pans in after the triumphant landing to watch Hitler's departure door open and his emergence from the plane to the raucous cheering of the crowd assembled on the tarmac. 

Trump stages the same scene on the runway emerging from his jet, "Trumpforce One." 

Hitler is filmed walking toward the huge crowd, who are being hyped with pageantry, music, and are warmed up by speakers echoing the Führer's propaganda, such as Goebbels and Hess. Just as Trump had the rabid fascists Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and other MAGA figures doing the same. 

Trump crosses the tarmac similarly, and the video of his deplaning is broadcast on a jumbotron screen to work up the crowd. 

Riefenstahl takes many shots of the euphoric crowd of supporters, raising their arms in salute as Hitler passes by them in his motorcade en route to the stadium. 

Trump's campaign photographers are more than obviously going for the same effect, even to the point of homing in on the children present to replicate it. 

And of course the photography by Riefenstahl to depict Hitler speaking is mimicked by Trump's photographers as well, framed to emphasize the personal hold over his audience and charisma. However, it should be stated that in Trump's case, much of the euphoria is fakery and many of his cheering supporters are being paid as actors. Such was not the case in Nuremberg, which is itself a glimmer of hope worth hanging onto. 

Conclusion-- So, Now What? 

I believe that propaganda has an objective limit. The illusion of power, infallibility, authority, charisma, mystical or prophetic destiny at work, all will go up in smoke with a shattering defeat which serves to demoralize the majority of those under the "leader's" thrall. For the Germans, the crushing defeat at Stalingrad and the resultant losses on the Eastern front at the hands of the Red Army was the shock which began to break Hitler's spellbinding hold. This is when the Army began anew their plots to overthrow Hitler, and resistance groups like "White Rose" and that led by Dietrich Bonhöffer emerged, due to what they believed was the end of his run of good luck which had up until then fed the narrative of his invincibility. Given Hitler's heavy engagement in the East, there was no doubt that an allied invasion was imminent. 

In the case of Trump, an indictment in New York in the Stormy Daniels case alone will not do the job of hurting him, rather it will be a trigger which helps him. He will use it to stoke his base for a "final battle" and to steal their money. I would not rule out however that a federal indictment by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith's grand jury might be devastating to him, because it will be based on the testimony of many people who were his inner circle, which neutralizes the propaganda line centered on a "Democratic witch hunt." There is a slight difference between the testimony of Mike Pence and Mark Meadows, versus that of his ex-shyster lawyer and "fixer," Michael Cohen. (Who by the way is being targeted as responsible for the coming indictment by Trump supporters because he is Jewish, as is financier George Soros, the so-called hand behind New York DA Alvin Bragg)

What Is urgent and crucial is that in such an event, that those of us who constitute a resistance not be satisfied to "eat popcorn." Rather we need to step up and become a secondary leadership comprised of ordinary folks who will rise from the ranks and take personal responsibility. Become candidates, form groups, do interventions, have press conferences or write Op-Eds to local newspapers. If your Pastors, Ministers, Priests and Rabbis are defending Trump, get a group together to meet with their executives and demand their removal, and threaten to leave if they don't. There are many ways to resist. However, single issues can be a trap, and I believe we need to think bigger. 

I would emphasize that actual resistance does not solely consist of a political organizing tactic around an issue, in and of itself. Resistance is a state of mind, rooted in our personal sense of identity, which should not be that of a follower, or contingent on what some celebrity or public figure does. We can assert our identiies and reach that state of mind by simply making a decision to do so. By ourselves. However, speaking as someone (and on behalf of my wife Martha who made this decision herself a long time ago) I know that it means changing our lives around, and that is the hard part. 

But, whoever said this was going to be easy?