In late July 2025, claims that a California man allegedly running for governor posted a picture of himself in front of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with the caption "My 0% Unemployment Plan" circulated online.
The man in question was Kyle Langford, an aspiring politician who declared himself a candidate for governor in the upcoming 2026 California gubernatorial election. He described his "political philosophy" as "Christian Eco-Nationalism," which he said "blends moral framework and law-and-order pragmatism with a unique Californian identity," according to his answers on a Ballotpedia survey.
Further, according to his campaign website, Langford's platforms include "revitalizing" California's "Catholic foundations," "infrastructure development," "education, regulation and societal reform" and "preventing wildfires and planting trees."
Users across social media platforms like X (archived), Facebook (archived) and Instagram (archived) shared the aspiring politician's purported post, some offering commentary on Langford's message. One user on X (archived) wrote, "Coming out as a full-on Nazi and Hitler supporter is a viable political strategy in the U.S. these days."
(@KyleLangfordCA on X)
The rumor that Langford posted a picture of himself in front of Auschwitz along with the caption "My 0% Unemployment Plan" is true. Langford made the post in question on X (archived) on July 25, 2025, in a repost of another account's message that claimed, "California now leads the nation in both unemployment and homelessness."
Langford did not elaborate on the alleged policy behind his comment, as it was likely intended to make headlines to draw attention to his campaign. We could not definitively determine whether the photo authentically depicted Langford at Auschwitz or if it was the result of digital manipulation.
However, a Snopes reader sent us a link to an article titled "Seeking Silence in Auschwitz" from the Museum of Jewish Heritage authored by Katy Matello, which featured an image that appeared identical to the one in Langford's post. Details such as the cloud formations and positioning of the gate match in both images, so it's likely Langford used digital manipulation to insert himself on top of Matello's photograph, making it appear as though he was on-site.
Despite the flagrant trolling, the post inspired a host of organizations to denounce the sentiment, including the Auschwitz Memorial Museum itself, which shared a screenshot of the post in question and wrote on X (archived):
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. @KyleLangfordCA, your post is an affront to the dignity of the victims and a disturbing display of insensitivity and disregard to horryfying [sic] human history.
A look at Langford's social media accounts revealed his use of controversial posts and his responses to detractors as a way to draw attention to himself and other endeavors.
For example, he responded to the Auschwitz Museum by posting (archived), "My German Ancestors smile upon me (& My most sincere of Thank you's for the massive shoutout @AuschwitzMuseum)." In his response, Langford posted a video of himself posing for the camera from various angles without any further comments.
When reached for comment via email, the Auschwitz Museum referred us to the statement made on X.
In addition, an account on X called European Democrats posted (archived) a statement denouncing Langford's post which read in part: "This isn't humour, it's hatred in disguise. At a time when civilians are dying in the Middle East, such cynicism is obscene. That someone like this could aspire to political office is not just shocking — it's disgraceful."
Langford responded (archived), "I wasn't joking, I think it is exactly what is needed to stabilize California and keep people safe." Further, he replied to a user calling him a fascist by saying (archived), "Yes, I am," with a thumbs-up emoji.
Links on Langford's campaign website lead to his artist profiles on music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. In the aforementioned Ballotpedia survey, he responded to the question "What was the last song stuck in your head?" with one of his own. Langford's employment history is primarily in construction according to his LinkedIn.
He previously went viral for comments on a podcast made in April 2025 in which he stated migrant women should have a one-year timeline to marry or risk deportation.
Snopes reached out to Langford for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.