Did Kyle Langford, a Republican candidate for governor of California, post a photo of himself in front of the Auschwitz-Stammlager Nazi concentration camp, along with the description "My 0% Unemployment Plan"? Yes, that's true: Screenshots of the X post were authentic. In response to criticism for the post, Langford insisted "I wasn't joking, I think it is exactly what is needed..."
The screenshot appeared in a July 26, 2025, post on Instagram (archived here), which criticized Langford, calling his post "hatred in disguise". This is what it looked like at the time of publication: 
(Image source: Screenshot of July 26, 2025, post by instagram.com/europeandemocrats)
That was an authentic screenshot of a real post.
On July 25, Langford posted what appeared to be a photo of himself in front of the main entrance to the Auschwitz-Stammlager Nazi concentration camp in Poland, along with the text "My 0% Unemployment Plan 📄🏭🇺🇸":
(Image source: Screenshot of a July 25, 2025, post by x.com/KyleLangfordCA)
The implication behind Langford's post (archived here) was that he would achieve full employment in California through forced labor in concentration camps.
In a post on X (archived here), the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum condemned Langford's post, calling it a "profound moral failure" and "an affront to the dignity of the victims" of the camp.
In response to such criticizm, Langford insisted (archived here) that the message behind his post was not ironic, writing:
I wasn't joking, I think it is exactly what is needed to stabilize California and keep people safe.
