American Federation of Teachers (AFT) boss Randi Weingarten hinted the U.S. was under "Nazi occupation" by wearing a paper clip during her interview on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" Monday.
Weingarten promoted her new book, "Why Fascists Fear Teachers," which she described as a warning against fascism that she argued was already occurring in the U.S.
"Who are the heroes? Who are the antidote? Who are the hope agents and their teachers? I mean, there is a reason why Putin said that wars are won by teachers. There is a reason why in Norway, when the Nazis took over Norway, that’s why I’m wearing this paper clip," Weingarten said, pointing to her pins.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks during a rally outside the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She continued, "I wear two things now: the American flag — no one can take patriotism away from me — and a paper clip. What did the teachers in Norway do when there was the Nazi occupation? They started wearing paper clips. Kids started wearing paper clips. Why? To bind people together as a community."
Though she alluded to Nazi occupation, Weingarten insisted she did not label any specific figure a "fascist" in her book.
"I intentionally did not admit an intentional decision not to call anybody or label anybody a fascist in this book," Weingarten said. "I describe fascistic behavior, authoritarian behavior, oligarchic behavior."
In a comment to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson attacked Weingarten as a "nutjob" and blasted MSNBC for platforming her.
Randi Weingarten campaigned on behalf of the Democratic Party in 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Does she also wear a tinfoil hat? No serious network should be amplifying this nutjob’s unhinged conspiracies meant to demonize half the country—especially when they refuse to hold her accountable for the damage she inflicted on America’s children by demanding schools stay closed during COVID-19. Randi’s smears will only further inflame and incite her radical left-wing supporters," Jackson said.
Weingarten's book railing against "fascists" was published on Sept. 16, just days after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on a Utah college campus. His death sparked a national conversation over political rhetoric after authorities said the alleged assassin held leftist views, and bullets found near the scene included messages such as, "Hey fascist, catch!"
Some Democratic figures have continued to refer to the Trump administration and the Republican Party as "fascists."
Weingarten’s book also followed her campaign during the 2024 election cycle against a second Trump administration, warning Democrat votes were the "best defense against tyranny and fascism."
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten explained her subtle forms of protest on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." (Screenshot/MSNBC)
"The November elections will determine which path we take as a nation. Progress is indeed possible, but so is the eradication of the rights and freedoms we hold dear," Weingarten said during AFT’s annual convention in Houston last July.
"Historians… who study threats to democracy and how fascists come to power conclude that it is seldom a dramatic event or attack that lets fascism in the door. The violence comes later after they are voted in," she continued in a speech that was criticized by conservatives as "unhinged."
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.