US Education Department Appears to Positively Compare Trump to Hitler in Now-Deleted Promo Video

The US Department of Education deleted a promotional video after critics pointed out that its attempt to praise Donald Trump appeared to liken him to Adolf Hitler.

The department's official X account shared the video Wednesday, using a scene from Darkest Hour, the 2017 film about former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In the clip, Churchill, played by Gary Oldman, shouts: 'You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth.'

The video then cuts to a montage of Trump clips, apparently presenting the line as a dramatic endorsement of the president's confrontational style. The Department of Education captioned the post: 'No one does it like us,' followed by a tiger emoji.

But viewers quickly noticed the problem. In the film, the 'tiger' Churchill is referring to is Adolf Hitler, as he rejects the idea that Britain should negotiate with Nazi Germany.

Critics Say Department Missed the Point

The post was quickly mocked across X, with users asking whether the department understood the scene it had used. Matt Rein, a Democratic National Committee official, wrote: 'the 'tiger' being referenced here is Hitler btw.'

Another user put it more bluntly: 'Our tax dollars are paying for the department of education to make videos comparing hitler to trump. Thats a thing now. That happened.'

The X account Headquarters, which was previously associated with Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, also criticised the post.

'They fired the employees who help fund teachers and students but kept the taxpayer-funded fancam editor,' the account wrote.

Another user said: 'Aside from the fact that this video nakedly compares Trump to Adolf Hitler what does it have to do with education?'

Community Note Flags Hitler Reference

The post eventually received a Community Note on X, which linked to a longer version of the Darkest Hour scene and explained the context of Churchill's line. The note pointed out that the 'tiger' in question was Hitler, not a general symbol of toughness or victory.

The Department of Education deleted the post shortly afterwards. The agency has not publicly explained how the video was approved or whether anyone involved in its social media operation understood the film reference.

Latest Trump Meme Controversy

The deleted promo is the latest example of official or Trump-linked social media posts drawing outrage for strange or inflammatory imagery. In recent months, Trump has faced criticism for sharing AI-generated posts and memes targeting political opponents or placing himself in religious and historical imagery.

Earlier this year, he faced backlash after sharing a racist video depicting Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes. The clip was later deleted, though Trump did not apologise.

In another controversy, Trump posted an image portraying himself as Jesus Christ during a public feud with Pope Leo XIV. He deleted that post after criticism from religious groups and some Republicans, then later shared another image showing himself embraced by Jesus in front of an American flag.

A Self-Own From an Education Agency

The Department of Education's video stood out because it was posted by an agency responsible for schools and learning, making the mistake even more embarrassing.

'The department of education being so profoundly illiterate as to not know what this scene is referring to is just beautifully poetic,' one user wrote.

The post may have been intended to present Trump as bold and uncompromising. Instead, it handed critics an easy attack line: a taxpayer-funded promo that accidentally made the exact comparison the White House would presumably want to avoid.