Trump Unveils New Space Force Uniform Inspired by ‘Starship Troopers’

U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled the design of a new Space Force uniform, saying it was inspired by the “discipline and functionality” of the uniforms featured in the 1997 science-fiction film Starship Troopers.

The design has sparked discussion because the film deliberately incorporated Nazi-era military imagery and fascist aesthetics.

Trump shared an image of the proposed uniform on his Truth Social account on Sunday. The design features a dark-colored tunic, a peaked cap and knee-high boots.

According to Trump’s post, the uniform was modernized for Space Force personnel, known as “Guardians,” drawing inspiration from the discipline and functionality of the uniforms seen in Starship Troopers.

However, the film’s director, Paul Verhoeven, has previously said its fascist atmosphere was intentional. In a 2022 interview with The Guardian, Verhoeven said he wanted to make a film in which fascists did not recognize themselves as fascists. He also said the movie was fundamentally about American politics.

Verhoeven, who grew up in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation, drew on the visual style of fascist propaganda films when developing the movie’s aesthetic. The uniform worn by actor Neil Patrick Harris, who played a military officer, was also designed to resemble the uniforms of Nazi Germany’s SS.

A 1997 review of Starship Troopers by The Washington Post noted the film’s “obvious Nazi fashion,” including Harris’s black shirt, overcoat and an SS-style cap. A review in the Los Angeles Times likewise pointed to the film’s visual similarities to Nazi Germany.

The U.S. Space Force was established by Trump in 2019 as the sixth branch of the U.S. military. Its current uniforms are modeled largely on conventional military attire and feature a tunic with six buttons, representing the military’s sixth branch.

Trump described the colors of the new uniform as “Space Gray,” “Midnight Black,” “Silver Gray” and “Satin Black.”

The design has also drawn comparisons to the uniforms worn by Imperial officers in the Star Wars franchise.

Menswear writer Derek Guy said the proposed uniform resembles the type of design often used by costume designers in science-fiction films to visually signal that a character is a villain.