are trying to link him to being a NAZI and the fact is 99% of MAGA F*CKS didn't even know it was a NAZI symbol until someone told them.
Very high probability he just thought it was a skull and crossbones and not some sort of NAZI symbol. And nobody can make that decision other than him.
There were other military members that also had it that just didn't know.
For the vast majority of the general public, a generic skull and crossbones is recognized strictly as a symbol for pirates, poison, or heavy metal. Very few people outside of specific subcultures or academic fields would look at a standard skull and crossbones and immediately connect it to the Nazis. However, the specific design known as the Totenkopf (Death's Head) has very distinct artistic details. Whether someone would actually know its Nazi ties depends entirely on who you ask. The General Public: Very Low Awareness To the average person, a skull is just a skull. As noted by political observers during the controversy, most everyday voters and citizens would not recognize a skull and crossbones as a Nazi symbol. Because skulls are so thoroughly saturated in mainstream pop culture (Halloween, biker aesthetics, clothing brands), the nuance of a specific historical design is completely lost on the public.
2. Tattoo Artists: Moderate to High Awareness Professional tattoo artists generally have a higher awareness of hate symbols to avoid accidentally inking them on clients. However, the Totenkopf design looks very similar to "American Traditional" or folk-style flash tattoos. If a tattoo parlor is located overseas (like the parlor in Croatia where the candidate got his) or uses generic wall "flash" art, the artist or the customer can easily mistake it for a standard, tough-looking military or pirate skull.
3. Military Members: Mixed Awareness The skull and crossbones has a deep history in global military units that predates World War II by centuries. Even today, several high-profile military units use skull imagery. While modern militaries have strict rules banning extremist imagery, accidental usage still happens. For example, the U.S. Army had to launch investigations into National Guard and Special Forces units for accidentally posting photos of service members wearing the Totenkopf patch on their gear, with officials citing that the personnel often didn't realize the specific historical context of the design.
4. Historians, Watchdog Groups, and Extremists: 100% Awareness The people who instantly recognize the Totenkopf are World War II historians, political researchers, and watchdog organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Because the Totenkopf was specifically worn by the SS units that guarded concentration camps, it is heavily documented in historical texts. White supremacists and neo-Nazis also know exactly what it means, frequently using it as a "dog whistle"—a symbol that signals their beliefs to other extremists while remaining hidden in plain sight from the oblivious general public.