Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello has accused the Trump administration of invoking an alleged Nazi slogan during a Department of Homeland Security press conference last week, reigniting debate around political language, symbolism, and historical accountability.
The press conference took place in New York City on January 8th and was led by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, it came one day after ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis and was intended to address the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.
Photos and video from the event show the phrase ‘One of ours, all of yours’ printed across the front of Noem’s podium.
Morello addressed the phrase directly in a post shared to Instagram earlier today, pairing an image of himself holding a guitar with ‘Fuck Trump’ written across it alongside a photo of Noem at the podium.
“… the Trump admin quoted (verbatim) the Nazi mass murder slogan, ‘One of ours, all of yours.’ Coined when an SS officer was killed and the Nazis murdered every male resident of the village in response. If there are any MAGA left after THIS, you have made an irrevocable choice,” Morello wrote.
He later reposted the image to his Instagram Story with the caption, “Does this alarm you?”
While Morello described the phrase as a direct Nazi slogan, historians have noted that there is no confirmed evidence the wording itself was used verbatim by Nazi forces in either German or English. However, the sentiment closely mirrors the Nazi policy of collective punishment, a tactic used during World War II that resulted in mass civilian reprisals.
Under international law, collective punishment is classified as a war crime, the International Humanitarian Law Database states:
“No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”
Watch this space
The Trump administration has not publicly addressed the phrase or responded to Morello’s comments as of yet.
Morello has built his career on overtly political music and activism, has never shied away from confronting government power, his criticism lands at a moment when political symbolism is being scrutinised as closely as policy itself, particularly in the wake of violent enforcement actions.
Whether intentional or not, the slogan has sparked backlash, with critics arguing that language rooted in collective blame carries dangerous historical weight. For Morello, the issue is clear and the warning unmistakable.
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