“My 0% Unemployment Plan” – Auschwitz as a Backdrop for a Republican Candidate

Sometimes a single image is enough to expose the moral vacuum of a political movement. Kyle Langford, Republican candidate for Governor of California in the 2026 election, achieved exactly that – with a selfie in front of the Auschwitz camp gate and the caption: “My 0% Unemployment Plan.” Behind him: the cynical slogan “Arbeit macht frei.” In front: a self-satisfied smile. And below: the flag of the United States. It is a transgression that is hardly comprehensible – not because of its tastelessness, but because of its deliberate contempt for historical dignity.

The response from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum was not long in coming. In a clear statement, the memorial wrote: “The instrumentalization of the tragedy of all those imprisoned and murdered in the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz for political messaging is a profound moral failure. Auschwitz is not a prop.” The sentence was directed not only at Langford but also at an America where right-wing forces are increasingly willing to make even the darkest chapters of human history mere props for their ideology. But Langford had no intention of backing down. Instead, he publicly reaffirmed that Auschwitz was indeed his model for achieving zero percent unemployment. In a follow-up comment, he declared: “I wasn’t joking. It is exactly what California needs to become safe again.”

Langford’s X profile exudes an air of seriousness: he poses in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, alongside the slogan “Governor of California 2026.” At first glance, he might be mistaken for an ambitious technocrat. But Langford is no harmless eccentric. He is a construction project manager, founder of the “California First” movement, and a proponent of a blend of eco-nationalism, Christian fundamentalism, and far-right rhetoric. In the past, he has demanded that “Jews should worship Jesus Christ, become Catholics, and leave the State of Israel.” He has proposed that the U.S. carry out regime change in Israel and dismantle its intelligence service. When asked whether his statements about Auschwitz were meant seriously, he replied dryly, “Yes.” The fact that a man with such views even registers in polls is an alarm bell. While Langford trails Democratic frontrunner Kamala Harris by 22 percentage points in current surveys, he has already gained five percent among Republican voters—more than enough to inject toxic messages into public discourse. Just hours after the Auschwitz Museum publicly condemned him, Langford doubled down—with a response that turned the already unspeakable into something cynically self-assured. On X, he wrote: “My German ancestors are smiling down on me,” added a dreamy emoji and the German flag, and sarcastically thanked the museum for the “huge shoutout.” Accompanied by factory and U.S. emojis, he didn’t present himself as remorseful - but as the real winner of the controversy, someone who converts moral condemnation into political spotlight. It was less an apology than a mockery - of the place, of history, and of the victims. In a political climate where conspiracy theories, antisemitism, and historical revisionism are increasingly normalized, Langford’s campaign is not a footnote - it is a symptom.

We immediately passed on the information about this still largely unknown case – to the media, monitoring bodies, and also to platforms like LinkedIn, where Langford has a large network. Such people must be stripped of their networks, not given the attention they seek. Whoever exploits Auschwitz as a stage for political cynicism must be denied reach, professional standing, and any platform. This is not about outrage, but about responsibility – toward the victims, toward the truth, and toward a society that must not allow the unspeakable to become a rhetorical plaything. Auschwitz was a place of horror, not a tool for mobilizing voters. Langford did not respond to two inquiries we sent yesterday. Anyone who does not understand this has no place in public discourse.

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