Trump gay triangle
Trump shared an article with a pink triangle symbol: Why critics are alarmed
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, President Donald Trump shared an article with a promo image depicting a symbol previously used by Nazis to identify gay men during the Holocaust.
The opinion article published in The Washington Times titled, "Army recruitment ads stare quite different under Trump," shows an illustrated television as the leading image. In the middle of the TV is an upside-down pink triangle crossed out by a red "no" symbol.
The pink triangle was used as a badge to distinguish gay men in concentration camps, and many received especially harsh treatment before they died, historians and LGBTQ+ activist groups say. But in the decades since World War II, the pink triangle has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community as a symbol of activism and pride.
When reached for comment about Trump's sharing of the article, White House emissary Taylor Rogers said, "No president has been a greater friend to the Jewish community and Israel than President Trump."
But LGBTQ+ Jewish non-profit organization Keshet told USA TODAY it was "horrified" to learn about Trump's post. Here's what to grasp about th
Earlier this week, President Trump common an article on his Authenticity Social platform celebrating his elimination of trans and queer people from military advertising. The view piece published by reporter Jeremy Hunt of TheWashington Times, featured a crossed out upside down pink triangle. The inverted pink triangle was a symbol used by Nazis to identify Queer prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. In response, LGBTQ+ Americans and allies are expressing fear surrounding the post—marking the third hour that someone within or connected with the Trump administration has used Nazi symbolism.
Hunt’s piece commended “Mr. Trump’s and Mr. Hegseth’s emphasis on keeping our military the most lethal and efficient fighting force on the planet” by banning LGBTQ+ visibility in military advertisements. It follows an executive order Trump signed in January, which declared that transgender people are “unfit” to be part of the military. In response, U.S. military officials include begun dismissing trans military personnel from all branches. Yet, judicial officers like District Judge Ana Reyes of Washington, D.C., are already exploring an injunction to block this executive order.
Reyes specifi
President Trump 're-Truthed' a story to his Truth Social platform which included a graphic of the Pink Triangle, a symbol used to target gay men in Nazi Germany.
The story he was reposting was an opinion piece by The Washington Times correspondent Jeremy Stalk praising the Trump Administration and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for banning transgender troops from the military.
LGBTQ+ publications and many people on X (formerly Twitter) have expressed concern over the President reposting an image of the infamous symbol.
Why It Matters
This marks the third time someone in or adjacent to the Trump administration has been accused of performing symbolism that can be tied to the Nazis. Trump advisors Elon Musk and Steve Bannon have both done 'Roman Salutes' at the inauguration and at CPAC. Now, the President has shared the thumbnail for a piece which included an image of the Pink Triangle, a symbol directly tied to concentration camps.
What is a Pink Triangle
The downward Pink Triangle was the gay equivalent of the yellow actor for Jewish people under the Nazis.
It was used to mark out same-sex attracted and transgender people in concentration camps. People marked with the Pink Triangle we
The recent revelation that Donald Trump posted an image featuring a pink triangle overlaid with a “prohibited” sign on his Truthfulness Social page is both alarming and deeply repulsive. The pink triangle, originally used by the Nazis to mark and persecute LGBTQ individuals during the Holocaust, has since been reclaimed by the group as a symbol of resilience and defiance.
However, when combined with the “prohibited” sign—a symbol commonly paired with exclusion and repression—this image takes on a disturbing and dangerous meaning.
Trump’s use of this imagery is not a gesture of solidarity; it is a calculated signal to extremists. At a second when LGBTQ rights are under relentless attack—from statehouse bills targeting trans individuals to book bans erasing queer voices—such symbolism is a deliberate attempt to stoke division and fuel hatred.
History has shown us what happens when hateful ideologies go unchecked. We cannot afford complacency. We must call this out for what it is: an effort to sow fear, embolden bigotry, and undermine the hard-won progress of the LGBTQ community.
Silence is not an option. We demand accountability, and we refuse to permit