A Republican candidate in the 2026 California gubernatorial race has drawn condemnation after suggesting that a “labour camp” like Auschwitz could be a “solution” to local unemployment and homelessness.
Kyle Langford posted a photo of himself in front of the infamous gates of the former Nazi death camp to X, captioning it: “My 0 per cent unemployment plan.”
The post sparked outrage, including from the official account of the Auschwitz Memorial, which replied: “The instrumentalisation 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.
"Kyle Langford, your post is an affront to the dignity of the victims and a disturbing display of insensitivity and disregard to horryfying human history.”
However, Langford has since doubled down on the comment, adding: “My German ancestors smile upon me.
“My most sincere of thank you’s for the massive shoutout [from the] Auschwitz Museum.”
Langford, a construction manager based in Los Angeles, is one of the candidates vying for the Republican nomination in upcoming primary elections ahead of the main ballot in 2026.
He has previously made a number of inflammatory comments about Jews in his advocacy for the “Catholic foundations” of the state.
For example, in a tweet in April, he wrote: “Jews need to become Catholic, worship Jesus Christ and abandon the State of Israel.
"I learned the Truth firsthand and have dedicated my LIFE to putting America First and Uniting everyone through The Catholic Church. (And I WILL succeed).”
That post had a video attached in which he claimed that “organised Jewry” and the “pro-Israel lobby” were responsible for “assassinations” and “blackmail”, adding: “They need to become Catholic...I don’t want people living in this country that are not loyal to it.
"They don’t want to assimilate and that’s a problem...they do need to convert, they do need to change their ways…they cannot be using this organised worldwide network.”
He has also shared posts from antisemitic influencer Nick Fuentes and has described current California governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, as an “Aryan super soldier” with a “beautiful white family”.
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