Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Screenshot of a report in The Atlantic headlined, “Trump is literally Hitler” with the strapline reading, “Donald J. Trump is the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler”.
The X post, which has amassed 9.8M views so far, was also reposted by the social media platform’s owner, Elon Musk.
Fact
Newschecker first looked up the Washington-based The Atlantic’s website, where we did not find any such article as claimed in the viral post.
We, however, came across this article, featured prominently in the website’s homepage, headlined, “Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’”, dated October 22, 2024. The report, written by Jeffrey Goldberg, was about the Republican presidential nominee’s preoccupation with dictators, and his deepening disdain for the American military, two weeks before an election that could see Trump return to the White House. The multi-platform publisher also shared the article on X on October 23, 2024.
“Trump has frequently voiced his disdain for those who serve in the military and for their devotion to duty, honour, and sacrifice. Former generals who have worked for Trump say that the sole military virtue he prizes is obedience. As his presidency drew to a close, and in the years since, he has become more and more interested in the advantages of dictatorship, and the absolute control over the military that he believes it would deliver. ‘I need the kind of generals that Hitler had,’ Trump said in a private conversation in the White House, according to two people who heard him say this. ‘People who were totally loyal to him, that follow orders.’ (‘This is absolutely false’, Trump spokesperson, Alex Pfeiffer, wrote in an email to the reporter. ‘President Trump never said this.’),” read the report, which delved into Trump’s “evident desire to wield military power, and power over the military, in the manner of Hitler and other dictators”.
We saw that the X user, @Indian_Bronson, who first shared the purported article, had replied to his original post, stating, “It’s satire, but The Atlantic can only be lampooned this way because they are deranged”. The user posted another similar clarification while replying to another user, which further confirmed that the viral screenshot is fake.
Also Read: Video By Brazilian Digital Creator Falsely Shared As Arab Man With His Wives At Gym
Result: Altered Media
Source
The Atlantic article, October 22, 2024
X post, @Indian_Bronson, October 23, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
