Did Kamala Harris Really Use a Nazi Slogan During Her Campaign?

Donald Trump supporters are suggesting that the Democratic candidate used the slogan “Strength through joy” during her campaign. However, the US vice president has never used this expression.

A strange attack on the sidelines of the Democratic convention. Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, officially became the party’s candidate in place of Joe Biden on Tuesday, August 20, in the race for the White House against Donald Trump. Two days earlier, American activist Ryan Fournier, co-founder of the organization Students for Trump, claimed on the social network X that “Kamala’s message, ‘Strength through joy,’ derives from that of the Nazis”. His tweet was shared more than a thousand times, notably by opponents of the Democratic camp and pro-Russian accounts.

One thing is true: Kamala Harris’ campaign has repeatedly referred to joy. At the Democratic convention, “We’ve heard this term a lot. Kamala Harris is the president of joy, as Bill Clinton has repeated.”reports Frédéric Arnould, a journalist at Radio-Canada, interviewed by franceinfo. On Tuesday, August 6, during a meeting in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), her running mate Tim Walz had estimated that Kamala Harris was a candidate capable of “bring back joy” in the country. The next day, the duo called themselves “joyful warriors” against Donald Trump, AP notes.

It is about “to do a counter-point” facing a “Old Donald Trump, with anxiety-provoking and violent speech”analyzes Antonin Atger, doctoral student in social psychology at Brunel University in London and specialist in conspiracy theories. “Kamala Harris is part of a lineage with Barack Obama by embodying hope and renewal”he adds. The former American president has also endorsed Kamala Harris by transforming her own slogan “Yes, we can!” in “Yes, she can!”

While the word “joy” came up eight times during the Democratic convention and the rallies leading up to it, according to Newsguard’s count, neither Harris nor her running mate Tim Walz used the phrase “strength through joy,” which translates to “kraft durch freude” in German. That’s the name Adolf Hitler chose in 1933 for his leisure program that allowed workers to go on cruises, for example.

“The principle of rumor is to take something that is true and twist it to make it say what you want. The true use of the word ‘joy’ helps fuel this rumor.”

Antonin Atger, conspiracy theory specialist

to franceinfo

“We start with a statement that everyone agrees on – that the word ‘joy’ was used by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz – and we drift toward increasingly false statements.”continues the doctoral student.

On Sunday, August 18 alone, the day activist Ryan Fournier shared the misinformation, the words “Strength Through Joy” and “Harris” were mentioned together nearly 9,000 times in social media posts and articles, according to a Newsguard analysis.

This false information hides very specific interests for those who disseminate it, in particular among pro-Russian accounts. “Their goal is not the truth of things. It is to discredit Kamala Harris, because the Russians support Donald Trump, who has affirmed his affection for Vladimir Putin. If Donald Trump is elected, support for Ukraine will weaken.”summarizes Antonin Atger. This rumor is part, according to the doctoral student, of a digital war that Moscow is waging against Western countries.

As for Donald Trump’s supporters, “they know that [Kamala Harris] is not a Nazi”believes the conspiracy theory specialist. “This allows them to defend their candidate who has been in danger for several weeks, because Kamala Harris is above Donald Trump in the polls. All blows are allowed.”again observes Antonin Atger.

This use of the “bullshit in politics”namely the use of disinformation for political purposes, was popularized by Donald Trump upon his arrival at the White House, according to the doctoral student. For now, the Republican presidential candidate is not “not yet seeking to spread elaborate conspiracy theories” on Kamala Harris, notes Antonin Atger, as he was able to do against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But that could well change, because “The momentum is in favor of the Democratic camp”.