President Donald Trump unveiled a mockup of proposed Space Force uniforms, which he acknowledged are based on ones worn by fictional fascists.
Trump, 80, posted on Truth Social a mockup of the service dress uniform for the newest branch of the military, which he established in 2019. The gray and black look was “inspired by the discipline of the Starship Trooper uniform,” the graphic says, while being “modernized for the guardians of the space domain.”
Starship Troopers, the 1997 science fiction film, was intended to undermine what Dutch director Paul Verhoeven interpreted as fascist themes in the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein.
“I decided to make a movie about fascists who aren’t aware of their fascism,” the 88-year-old, who grew up near a Nazi military base in The Hague, told The Guardian in a 2018 interview. Nazi-inspired iconography is prevalent in the film.
Trump’s choice of attire for U.S. service members drew backlash.
“I liked the movie, which was very different from the book. My concern is whether these guys understand the point Verhoeven intended in Starship Troopers,” The Dispatch’s editor-in-chief, Jonah Goldberg, wrote on X. “The thing is I don’t know what would be worse: whether they got it or didn’t.”
“Just awful,” former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger wrote.
Menswear writer Derek Guy added: “this is the kind of design costume designers make to tell you who are the bad guys in a space movie.”
Another user weighed in: “If the costume designer on Star Wars had suggested this for the Empire uniforms George Lucas would have told them to dial back the Nazi.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast, nor did Space Force.
The branch adopted its current dress uniform last September, announcing it would roll out in late 2025 and into this year.
“Our service dress uniform represents the unique identity of Guardians, blending heritage with a modern design that reflects our unity and mission,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said in a press release. “From the start, Guardian feedback shaped its design and fit. I know the force will wear it with pride.”
Elsewhere in Washington, Trump’s proposed arch in Arlington, Virginia, has also been criticized for resembling Nazi designs.
