Highlights:
Top Trump Aide Stephen Miller Was The Architect Of The Administration’s Discriminatory Immigration Policies. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “The emails, which Miller sent to the conservative website Breitbart News in 2015 and 2016, showcase the extremist, anti-immigrant ideology that undergirds the policies he has helped create as an architect of Donald Trump’s presidency. These policies include reportedly setting arrest quotas for undocumented immigrants, an executive order effectively banning immigration from five Muslim-majority countries and a policy of family separation at refugee resettlement facilities that the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General said is causing ‘intense trauma’ in children.” [Southern Poverty Law Center, 11/12/19]
2018: Miller Advocated Blowing Up Boats Of Unarmed Migrants With Predator Drones. According to Rolling Stone, “STEPHEN MILLER, ONE of Donald Trump’s top immigration advisers, advocated using U.S. predator drones in 2018 to blow up migrant boats full of unarmed civilians, according to an upcoming book by a former administration official.” [Rolling Stone, 6/26/23]
Trump And Associates Planned To Increase Power Over Government Entities That Operated With Any Measure Of Independence. According to the New York Times, “Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands. […] Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him.” [New York Times, 7/17/23]
The Plans To Expand Power Were Primarily Drafted By Vincent Haley And Ross Worthington With Input From Stephen Miller. According to the New York Times, “That work at Heritage dovetails with plans on the Trump campaign website to expand presidential power that were drafted primarily by two of Mr. Trump’s advisers, Vincent Haley and Ross Worthington, with input from other advisers, including Stephen Miller, the architect of the former president’s hard-line immigration agenda.” [New York Times, 7/17/23]
In The Run-Up To The 2016 Election, Miller Showcased An Extremist And Anti-Immigrant Ideology. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “In the run-up to the 2016 election, White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller promoted white nationalist literature, pushed racist immigration stories and obsessed over the loss of Confederate symbols after Dylann Roof’s murderous rampage, according to leaked emails reviewed by Hatewatch. The emails, which Miller sent to the conservative website Breitbart News in 2015 and 2016, showcase the extremist, anti-immigrant ideology that undergirds the policies he has helped create as an architect of Donald Trump’s presidency.” [Southern Poverty Law Center, 11/12/19]
Miller: “We’re Going To Build That Wall […] Out Of Love.” According to Politico, “Miller pivoted from whipping up fear and loathing to whipping up fear and loathing and then calling it love. As the crowd began to chant ‘Build the wall!’ a grinning Miller explained. ‘We’re going to build that wall high and we’re going to build it tall,’ he said. ‘We’re going to build that wall, and we’re going to build it out of love. We’re going to build it out of love for every family who wants to raise their kids in safety and peace … We’re building it out of love for America and Americans of all backgrounds.’” [Politico, 6/27/16]
Miller: “Inside Our Borders, The Nation Of E Pluribus Unum […] Threatens To Be Fractured Across Ethnic Lines By Racial Animus And Divisive Multiculturalism.” According to the Guardian, “In a jeremiad against political correctness redolent of his future employer, Miller writes that ‘politically correct dictates are anathema to American values’. He continues: ‘Inside our borders, the nation of e pluribus unum [out of many, one] threatens to be fractured across ethnic lines by racial animus and divisive multiculturalism. We suffer from sagging patriotism, growing malaise and a loss of faith in the noble history and principles that have made us great.’” [Guardian, 4/16/16]
Miller Wrote A Number Of Controversial Columns For His College Newspaper, Including One Referring To Multiculturalism As “Segregation.” According to the Guardian, “Trump’s senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller, may be bringing his own baggage to Trump Tower, in the form of more than two dozen columns he wrote for his college newspaper a decade ago. […] His columns for The Chronicle range in subject from multiculturalism (which he calls ‘segregation’); to paid family leave (which results in men ‘getting laid off because [their] boss was losing too much money by paying absent employees’); to the Duke lacrosse scandal (‘a large number of people – instead of rejoicing at our peers’ innocence – will insist it is a conspiracy of white privilege’).” [Guardian, 4/16/16]
Miller Wrote That The “Paranoia” Of Black Students Stemmed From Their Misunderstanding Of Racism. According to Politico, “He was a strong supporter of the war in Iraq and called Ted Kennedy a ‘traitor’ for criticizing American use of torture. He went after professors for being registered Democrats. He blamed 9/11 on ‘politically correct domestic security’ and unenforced immigration laws. He wrote about black students’ racial ‘paranoia’ and their mistaken understanding of where true racism resides. The problem is not rich, conservative white people, he wrote. It’s ‘Democrats [who] continue to fuel the destructive vision of a powerful, racist white oppressor from which they need to protect black voters in order to keep their lock on that vote.’” [Politico, 6/27/16]
The Guardian: “Most Of Miller’s Writings […] Are Concerned With The Culture Wars, Particularly Matters Of Race.” According to the Guardian, “Most of Miller’s writings, however, are concerned with the culture wars, particularly matters of race. In an article titled ‘Paranoia’, Miller writes that ‘racial paranoia’ – belief in systematic racism – does a ‘tremendous disservice’ not only to those accused of harboring racist beliefs, but to racial minorities as well.” [Guardian, 4/16/16]
Miller Reportedly Worked On An Immigration Policy Debate At Duke With “Alt-Right” Leader Richard Spencer. According to the News & Observer, “While at Duke, Miller encountered a fellow member of the Duke Conservative Union, Richard Spencer, who was a graduate student. Spencer would later become a figure in the ‘alt-right’ movement who founded a white supremacist organization, the National Policy Institute. Media reports have said Spencer mentored Miller, a claim that Miller denied. Last year, Miller told The Daily Beast that Spencer’s claim of mentorship ‘is totally false and obviously ludicrous. … I strongly condemn his views.’ The link between the two men has been exaggerated, Spencer wrote in an altright.com blog post Wednesday titled ‘Stephen Miller and Me.’ The two worked on an immigration policy debate at Duke. But, Spencer wrote, ‘After we left Duke, we drifted apart. The last time we spoke was, I think, around 2009. We were friends, but we haven’t been in communication for some time.’” [News & Observer, 2/3/17]
Alt-Right Leaders Celebrated Trump Naming Bannon As Chief Strategist Of His Administration. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “When President Trump named Bannon as his chief strategist, numerous well-known white supremacists celebrated the appointment. David Duke called the selection of Bannon ‘excellent,’ adding that Bannon was ‘basically creating the ideological aspects of where we’re going.’ Peter Brimelow, who runs the racist site VDare, said that the Bannon hire was ‘amazing.’ Jared Taylor of American Renaissance, Brad Griffin of Occidental Dissent, and Rocky Suhayda of the American Nazi Party predicted that Bannon would help hold Trump to his campaign promises on immigration. While in the White House, Bannon reportedly reached out to far-right political figures, including France’s Marine Le Pen. In November 2016, she tweeted that he had invited her to work in concert with the new Trump administration.” [Anti-Defamation League, Viewed 6/18/20]
Bannon Said The Trump Campaign Did Not Go Far In Renouncing White Nationalism Because, “We Polled The Race Stuff And It Didn’t Matter.” According to the Washington Post, “The New York Times reports that a wide range of Trump’s advisers privately urged him to call out the white nationalists directly, but he kept steering the conversation back to a breakdown of ‘law and order.’ We’ve seen this refusal to give in to pressure to condemn racism before. Trump dragged his feet before disavowing David Duke’s support. And Joshua Green’s new book on Trump strategist Stephen K. Bannon reports that in August 2016, as Hillary Clinton elevated the issue of white nationalism to national prominence with a major speech, the Trump campaign internally decided not to go too far in renouncing it. Bannon told Green: ‘We polled the race stuff and it didn’t matter.’” [Washington Post, 8/14/17]
Bannon Encouraged Trump Not To Issue Another Statement Condemning “White Supremacists.” According to the Wall Street Journal, “Inside the White House, Mr. Bannon had argued against issuing Monday’s ‘white supremacists’ statement, telling the president that he would be criticized in the media for changing this position, said one person familiar with the exchange.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/17/17]
Trump Said Bannon Was A “Good Person” And “Not A Racist.” According to CBS News, “Trump did nothing to quash that uncertainty in statements at Trump Tower Tuesday afternoon. ‘Well we’ll see – look like, I like Mr. Bannon, he’s a friend of mine, but Mr. Bannon came on very late, you know that,’ Mr. Trump said. ‘I went through 17 senators, governors, and I won all the primaries. Mr. Bannon came on very much later than that, and I like him, he is a good man, he is not a racist, I can tell you that. He’s a good person. He actually gets a very unfair press in that regard, but we’ll see what happens with Mr. Bannon, but he’s a good person, and I think the press treats him frankly very unfairly.’” [CBS News, 8/15/17]
Barr Praised Christopher Columbus For Bringing “European Values” To America And Lamented Secularism’s Ascendance In The 20th Century. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, “Can you stand yet one more contention in the Christopher Columbus debate? This one comes from the attorney general of the United States, William Barr, who suggests that rather than criticizing Columbus, we ought to thank God that the Italian explorer brought his European values to the new land. Because Barr, until January, is responsible for much of the nation's legal process, his views on what values underwrite legal morality have some importance. His central point is that individual immorality - as opposed to unjust social conditions, for example - is the principal cause of the nation's problems. Speaking to a conference sponsored by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Barr said Columbus ushered in a values system that protected the country until about 30 years ago, when secularists started ruining America.” [Wisconsin State Journal, 11/28/92]
Barr Denied That Columbus Brought Cruelty And Slavery To North America, Claiming That “Cruelty, Slavery, And Injustice Were Not New To These Shores.” According to the Wisconsin State Journal, “Speaking to a conference sponsored by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Barr said Columbus ushered in a values system that protected the country until about 30 years ago, when secularists started ruining America. ‘As you know, there are some people who see the year 1492 as a watershed of evil, the onset of an age of brutal imperialism,'’ Barr said. ‘The critics of Columbus focus on the cruelty that the Europeans are said to have brought to the Americas.'’ Not so, Barr asserted. ‘The truth, of course, is that, in 1492, cruelty, slavery and injustice were not new to these shores. They have been part and parcel of human history in all times and in all places. ‘But the Europeans did bring something that was new. They brought a set of beliefs - the Judeo-Christian tradition - a moral culture, which provided a critique of injustice and a compelling account of man's true dignity.’” [Wisconsin State Journal, 11/28/92]
In Congressional Testimony, Barr Insisted The Criminal Justice System Was Not Biased Against Black Americans. According to the Associated Press, “Attorney General William P. Barr on Wednesday defended the nation's criminal justice system against charges it was biased against blacks but vowed to determine if police brutality was racially motivated.” [Associated Press, 5/20/92]
Barr Said The American Justice System “Is The Fairest Known To Man.” According to the Associated Press, “Attorney General William P. Barr on Wednesday defended the nation's criminal justice system against charges it was biased against blacks but vowed to determine if police brutality was racially motivated. ‘Our criminal justice is designed to be fair and in fact is the fairest known to man,’ Barr said in congressional testimony that drew expressions of surprise from two black House members who disagreed with his assessment. ‘It has built into it numerous safeguards to prevent racial discrimination,’ said Barr. ‘There may well be people who have racial bias in the criminal justice system,’ but, overall, the system operates fairly.” [Associated Press, 5/20/92]
Former Acting DHS Secretary Wolf Argued There Was Not A Systemic Racism Issue Among Law Enforcement, Stating More Outreach Was Needed To Reach Communities That Felt “Slighted.” According to Raw Story, “Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf argued over the weekend that there is no ‘systemic racism problem with law enforcement.’ Wolf made the remarks on ABC News after George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked days of protests. ‘George Floyd isn’t the only black American that was killed by police,’ ABC’s Martha Raddatz explained to Wolf on Sunday. ‘In fact, black Americans are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans.’ ‘Do you think there is a problem with systemic racism in policing in the United States?’ she asked. ‘I do not think that we have a systemic racism problem with law enforcement officers across this country,’ Wolf said. ‘Do I acknowledge that there are some law enforcement officers that abuse their job? Yes.’ ‘I would say there are individuals in every profession across this country that probably abuse their authority and their power,’ he added. ‘We need to hold them accountable. Can we do better? Can we do more? Can we continue to do more in the law enforcement arena outreach to our community, particularly those that those that feel slighted? Absolutely.’” [Raw Story, 6/7/20]
2018: Trump Appointee Carl Higbie, The Chief Of External Affairs At The Corporation For National And Community Service, Resigned After Racist Remarks He Made Were Reported. According to the Washington Post, “An appointee of President Trump has resigned from the federal agency that runs AmeriCorps and other service programs after remarks he made disparaging blacks, Muslims, gays, women, veterans with PTSD and undocumented immigrants surfaced in the news media. Carl Higbie lasted less than six months as the chief of external affairs in the Corporation for National and Community Service.” [Washington Post, 1/18/18]
Higbie Had Previously Said On His Radio Show That “The Black Race” Had “A Lax Of Morality.” According to CNN, “Higbie said on his radio show in 2013 and 2014 that ‘the black race’ has ‘a lax of morality’ and that black women ‘think that breeding is a form of employment.’ Higbie also said, ‘I believe wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly, that the black race as a whole, not totally, is lazier than the white race, period.’” [CNN, 5/1/18]
Higbie Had Previously Said On His Show, “I Believe Wholeheartedly, Wholeheartedly, That The Black Race As A Whole, Not Totally, Is Lazier Than The White Race, Period.” According to CNN, “Higbie said on his radio show in 2013 and 2014 that ‘the black race’ has ‘a lax of morality’ and that black women ‘think that breeding is a form of employment.’ Higbie also said, ‘I believe wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly, that the black race as a whole, not totally, is lazier than the white race, period.’” [CNN, 5/1/18]
Beattie Spoke At A 2016 Conference Alongside A Well Known White Supremacist. According to the Washington Post, “That was the case with former White House speechwriter Darren Beattie, who was fired last week after CNN reported he had spoken at a 2016 conference alongside a well-known white nationalist.” [Washington Post, 8/20/18]
Washington Post: “Seems To See Nothing Wrong With Having Participated On A Panel With Peter Brimelow, Whom The Post’s Robert Costa Described As Subscribing To ‘Racial Nationalism.’” According to the Washington Post, “We haven’t yet seen any recordings or transcript of his speech, so we do not know whether Beattie’s words were ‘objectionable’ or not. But he seems to see nothing wrong with having participated on a panel with Peter Brimelow, whom The Post’s Robert Costa described as subscribing to ‘racial nationalism’ and who sees the future of the United States ‘precipitating out on racial lines.’ That Beattie would appear with Brimelow and go on to a taxpayer-funded job in the White House is a matter of concern to a significant number of Americans.” [Washington Post, 8/20/18]
A University of Maryland National Consortium For The Study Of Terrorism Paper Concluded That The Proud Boys Were “Deeply Rooted In White Nationalism And Misogyny.” According to an opinion piece for CNN, “A January 2022 research paper from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland noted that, ‘While the Proud Boys vehemently deny adhering to a racist ideology, the organization is deeply rooted in white nationalism and misogyny.’” [CNN - Opinion, 2/6/23]
Proud Boys Founder Gavin McInnis Espoused White Supremacist Views. According to an opinion piece for CNN, “The Huffington Post editor and author of the new book, ‘We Are Proud Boys,’ Andy Campbell further explains the group’s seeming contradictions regarding race: ‘In the Proud Boys’ early days, founder Gavin McInnes made his views on white supremacy in the group very clear: Anyone can join up, so long as they generally agree that white men were overwhelmingly responsible for the success of Western culture,’ he wrote in an email.” [CNN - Opinion, 2/6/23]
VIDEO: Trump Told The Proud Boys To “Stand Back And Stand By.” According to remarks by Donald Trump at the first Presidential Debate in 2020 via CNN on YouTube, “WALLACE: But are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups? TRUMP: Sure. WALLACE: And to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities, as we saw in Kenosha and as we've seen in Portland? TRUMP: Sure, I'm willing to do that. WALLACE: Are you prepared to specifically? BIDEN: Do it. WALLACE: Well, go ahead, sir. TRUMP: But I would say, I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the right wing. WALLACE: So what are you, what are you saying? TRUMP: I'm willing to do anything. I want to see peace. WALLACE: Well, then do it, sir. BIDEN: Say it. Do it. Say it. TRUMP: You want to call them, what do you want to call them? Give me a name. Give me a name. WALLACE: White supremacists and white. TRUMP: Go ahead. Who would you like me to condemn? BIDEN: Proud Boys. WALLACE: White supremacists and right wing or left wing. TRUMP: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll tell you what. Somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right wing problem this is a left, this is a left wing problem.” [Trump Remarks – First 2020 Presidential Debate via YouTube, Accessed 1/3/24]
Proud Boys Members Celebrated Trump’s Comments And Said There Was A Spike In New Recruits. According to the New York Times, “Members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that has endorsed violence, celebrated on Tuesday night after President Trump mentioned them during the first presidential debate. Asked whether he condemned white supremacists and military groups, Mr. Trump demurred and then said, ‘Proud Boys — stand back and stand by.’ Within minutes, members of the group were posting in private social media channels, calling the president’s comments ‘historic.’ In one channel dedicated to the Proud Boys on Telegram, a private messaging app, group members called the president’s comment a tacit endorsement of their violent tactics. In another message, a member commented that the group was already seeing a spike in ‘new recruits.’” [New York Times, 9/29/20]
Proud Boys Members Embraced Trump’s Phrase On Social Media, Put The Phrase On Logos, And Sold Merchandise With The Phrase On It. According to CNN, “Shortly after Trump’s answer, his words were embraced in memes and other social media posts by accounts that purported to be from Proud Boys members. Some emblazoned the phrase ‘stand back and stand by’ onto the group’s logos. Others treated the President’s choice of the words ‘stand by’ as a sort of rallying cry – and have since been promoting it. Now, they’re turning it into profit by selling merchandise with the comment on it.” [CNN, 9/30/20]
Members Of The Proud Boys And Their LLC Were Ordered By A Court To Pay Over One Million Dollars In Damages To The Predominantly Black Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church In D.C. According to CNN, “Members of the right-wing extremist group, the Proud Boys, have been ordered to pay more than a million dollars as part of a civil suit judgment involving the destruction of property in December 2020 at the predominantly Black campus of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. DC Superior Court Judge Neal E. Kravitz approved Friday’s default judgment against Proud Boys members Joseph R. Biggs, Enrique Tarrio, Jeremy Bertino and John Turano, as well as the group’s limited liability corporation.” [CNN, 7/1/23]
The Judge Called The Proud Boys’ Actions An “Attack” On The Church That Was “Highly Orchestrated” And “Hateful And Overtly Racist.” According to CNN, “DC Superior Court Judge Neal E. Kravitz approved Friday’s default judgment against Proud Boys members Joseph R. Biggs, Enrique Tarrio, Jeremy Bertino and John Turano, as well as the group’s limited liability corporation. In a blistering order, Kravitz described the ‘highly orchestrated’ and ‘hateful and overtly racist conduct’ from members of the Proud Boys during the ‘attack’ on the Metropolitan AME church, in which a Black Lives Matter sign owned by the church was allegedly destroyed.” [CNN, 7/1/23]
Trump And Roger Stone Placed Ads In Upstate New York Papers To Attempt To Block A Native American Tribe’s Planned Casino. According to the Atlantic, “Later, using a front organization called the New York Institute for Law and Society, Trump and his associate Roger Stone placed advertisements in upstate–New York newspapers in an attempt to block the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s planned Sullivan County casino. On a page proof of one ad, featuring hypodermic needles and lines of cocaine, Trump wrote: ‘Roger, this could be good!’ Trump, Stone, and the institute would later pay $250,000 in fines for violating disclosure rules governing political advertising. Bradley Waterman served as general counsel and tax counsel for the Saint Regis Mohawks. Tony Cellini was the town supervisor of Thompson, where the casino was going to be built.” [Atlantic, June 2019]
Former General Counsel To The Saint Regis Mohawks: “Trump And Stone—Purchased Ads That Portrayed The Mohawks As Criminals, Drug Dealers, Etc. The Mohawks Regarded The Ads As Racist. So Did I.” According to the Atlantic, “BRADLEY WATERMAN: Trump and Stone created an organization that was said to be pro-family and anti-gaming. Its real mission was to put the kibosh on gaming by the Mohawks in the Catskills and in that way protect Trump’s casinos in Atlantic City. To that end, the organization—actually Trump and Stone—purchased ads that portrayed the Mohawks as criminals, drug dealers, etc. The Mohawks regarded the ads as racist. So did I. So did everyone else who weighed in.” [Atlantic, June 2019]
July 2023: Stone Accompanied Trump On A Campaign Stop To Council Bluffs Iowa And On A Flight To Las Vegas. According to NBC News, “Roger Stone, the political provocateur and strategist once pardoned by Donald Trump of multiple felony convictions, accompanied his longtime ally on the road on Friday. They were together at a campaign stop in Iowa and aboard the former president’s personal aircraft on a flight to Las Vegas, two sources familiar with the travel told NBC News. Trump was in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday to launch his Farmers for Trump coalition; Stone was in attendance but did not take the stage at the event. The former president is set to meet with grassroots activists in Las Vegas on Saturday.” [NBC News, 7/7/23]
Stone Called A Black Radio Host A “Negro” On Air During A Contentious Interview. According to the Associated Press, “Roger Stone, a political operative whose 40-month prison sentence was commuted this month by President Donald Trump, his longtime friend, called a Los Angeles-based Black radio host a ‘Negro’ on the air during a contentious interview. The exchange occurred on Saturday’s Mo’Kelly Show, whose host — Morris O’Kelly — grilled Stone on his conviction for lying to Congress, tampering with witnesses and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.” [Associated Press, 7/19/20]
Stone Was A Link Between The Trump Campaign And The Proud Boys. According to Rolling Stone, “The key link between the Proud Boys and the Trump campaign appears to be none other than Roger Stone, a longtime Republican operative dating back to the days of Richard Nixon who Ted Cruz once called ‘Trump’s henchman and dirty trickster.’ Stone, one of the architects of Trump’s ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign following his 2020 election loss, reportedly hired the Proud Boys as his security at a 2018 GOP conference in Oregon, and Tarrio has been captured on several occasions wearing a T-shirt that read, ‘Roger Stone is innocent.’ The House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack revealed that Stone regularly communicated with Proud Boys members, including Tarrio, in the months leading up to the insurrection in an encrypted group chat called Friends of Stone.” [Rolling Stone, 1/4/24]
The Leader Of The Proud Boys Allegedly Helped Stone On Social Media And Organized A Fundraiser For Stone. According to Rolling Stone, “‘Stone had been busy, launching ‘Stop the Steal’ and mobilizing Trump allies and had just gotten off the phone with General Flynn, when Enrique Tarrio, the national leader of the Proud Boys, called. Tarrio’s voice was inaudible, but Stone is heard telling him that he is still waiting for an update from the campaign — before he says he needs to talk without the camera rolling,’ Guldbrandsen tells Rolling Stone. Guldbrandsen and his Danish camera crew shadowed Stone for years, gradually learning of his close ties with the Proud Boys, especially Tarrio. ‘Tarrio was a fixture around Stone — helping him out, working with him on his social media, and even organizing a fundraiser for Stone just before his trial,’ explains Guldbrandsen. ‘Stone was in close contact with Tarrio right up until the attack on Jan. 6 and after via encrypted apps.’” [Rolling Stone, 1/4/24]
November 2022: Politico: Trump Hosted “White Nationalist” And “Antisemite” Nick Fuentes As Well As Kanye West. According to Politico, “Former President Donald Trump hosted white nationalist and antisemite Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach on Tuesday night, according to multiple people familiar with the event. Fuentes, who frequently posts racist content in addition to Holocaust revisionism, was brought as a guest of rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye.” [Politico, 11/25/22]
Politico: Fuentes “Frequently Posts Racist Content And Holocaust Revisionism.” According to Politico, “However eventful, the dinner reflects a remarkable moment in an extremely early 2024 campaign cycle: the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination breaking bread with a man who frequently posts racist content and Holocaust revisionism, brought there by a rapper who is launching his own presidential campaign under the shadow of his own antisemitic remarks.” [Politico, 11/25/22]
Politico: Kanye West Was “Launching His Own Presidential Campaign Under The Shadow Of His Own Antisemitic Remarks.” According to Politico, “However eventful, the dinner reflects a remarkable moment in an extremely early 2024 campaign cycle: the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination breaking bread with a man who frequently posts racist content and Holocaust revisionism, brought there by a rapper who is launching his own presidential campaign under the shadow of his own antisemitic remarks.” [Politico, 11/25/22]
Sources Said That Trump Refused To Disavow Nick Fuentes After Their Dinner Because He Was Worried He Might Alienate Part Of His Base. According to the Guardian, “Donald Trump repeatedly refused to disavow the outspoken antisemite and white supremacist Nick Fuentes after they spoke over dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort, rejecting the advice from advisers over fears he might alienate a section of his base, two people familiar with the situation said. The former US president was urged publicly and privately to denounce Fuentes in the aftermath of the dinner, which included the performer Ye, previously known as Kanye West, who has also recently been propagating antisemitic remarks. But Trump eschewed making outright disavowals of Fuentes, the people said, and none of the statements from the campaign or on his Truth Social account included criticism of Fuentes, despite efforts from advisers who reached Trump over the Thanksgiving holiday.” [Guardian, 11/28/22]
February 2022: Trump’s Truth Social Verified Fuentes’ Account After He Had Been Barred By Mainstream Social Media. According to Axios, “Truth Social, Donald Trump's new social network, has verified an account for Nick Fuentes, who has been labeled a ‘white supremacist’ in Justice Department filings, according to screenshots of the account shared with Axios. Why it matters: The Trump-backed network is welcoming a figure barred by mainstream social media and shunned by some other conservative platforms, including Gettr, the app from former Trump aide Jason Miller.” [Axios, 2/27/22]
2023: New York Times: Trump Wanted His Campaign To Hire Laura Loomer, “A Far-Right And Anti-Muslim Activist With A History Of Expressing Bigoted Views.” According to the New York Times, “Former President Donald J. Trump has told aides to hire Laura Loomer, a far-right and anti-Muslim activist with a history of expressing bigoted views, for a campaign role, according to four people familiar with the plans. Mr. Trump met with Ms. Loomer recently and directed advisers to give her a role in support of his candidacy, two of the people familiar with the move said. It is unclear whether she would serve on his campaign or the main super PAC backing his presidential bid. On Tuesday, after Mr. Trump’s arraignment in Manhattan, Ms. Loomer attended the former president’s speech at Mar-a-Lago, his resort and residence in Palm Beach, Fla.” [New York Times, 4/7/23]
Loomer Described Islam As A “Cancer” And Tweeted With The Hashtag, “#proudislamophobe.” According to the New York Times, “She once described Islam as a ‘cancer’ and tweeted under the hashtag ‘#proudislamophobe,’ and she has celebrated the deaths of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. [New York Times, 4/7/23]
Loomer: “Yes. I’m Pro-White Nationalism.” According to the New York Times, “‘Someone asked me, ‘Are you pro-white nationalism?’ Yes. I’m pro-white nationalism,’ Ms. Loomer said. ‘But there’s a difference between white nationalism and white supremacy. Right? And a lot of liberals and left-wing globalist Marxist Jews don’t understand that.’ She added, ‘So this country really was built as the white Judeo-Christian ethnostate, essentially. Over time, immigration and all these calls for diversity, it’s starting to destroy this country.’” [New York Times, 4/7/23]
2023: Trump And Trump Jr. Defended Douglass Mackey, A Former Social Influencer, Convicted Of Election Interference. According to CNN, “Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have come to the defense of a one time social media influencer who has been convicted of election interference and has a well-known history of pushing deeply racist, antisemitic, anti-Muslim and homophobic content online. In a video posted by his campaign in early December, former President Trump blasted President Joe Biden and ‘his henchmen’ for allegedly trampling on the First Amendment rights of Douglass Mackey, a longtime supporter of the former president who ran an anonymous, notorious Twitter account in 2016. Trump accused Biden of seeking to jail Mackey for ‘sharing a joking meme about Hillary Clinton several years ago. Nobody ever heard of anything like that.’” [CNN, 12/18/23]
CNN: Mackey Had “A Well-Known History Of Pushing Deeply Racist, Antisemitic, Anti-Muslim And Homophobic Content Online.” According to CNN, “Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have come to the defense of a one time social media influencer who has been convicted of election interference and has a well-known history of pushing deeply racist, antisemitic, anti-Muslim and homophobic content online.” [CNN, 12/18/23]
Trump Jr. Said Mackey’s Posts Were “Maybe My Favorite Twitter Account Of All Time.” According to CNN, “While the former president criticized the legal action taken against Mackey, Trump Jr. lauded the content featured on Mackey’s Twitter feed. He praised Mackey on his December 7 podcast as ‘maybe my favorite Twitter account of all time’ and said the Biden administration wanted the former influencer in prison.” [CNN, 12/18/23]
2023: Trump’s Iowa Faith Leader Coalition List Of 250 Names Included David Pautsch, Who Once Suggested Obama Should Be Hanged For Treason. According to Raw Story, “Donald Trump’s list of ‘impressive’ people on his recently released Iowa Faith Leader Coalition include several men of hate. […] A Raw Story review of the Iowa Faith Leader Coalition list, which includes more than 250 names, identified David Pautsch of Davenport, Iowa, as the person who once suggested Obama should be hanged for treason.” [Raw Story, 12/22/23]
Pautsch Defended Former Rep. Steve King’s 2019 Comments That Defended White Nationalism And White Supremacy. According to Raw Story, “Pautsch, who’s challenging Republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks in a congressional primary, also encouraged people to come to the defense of former Rep. Steve King of Iowa after King told the New York Times in 2019, ‘White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?’ ‘I thought it was an important question to ask — why are those offensive words?’ Pautsch said.” [Raw Story, 12/22/23]
2024: DJ Duo Milk N Cooks Headlined The Republican National Convention. According to Rolling Stone, “THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL Convention kicked off in Wisconsin on Monday, and while the week will be devoid of notable musicians — most of the artists on the RNC’s official playlist detest Donald Trump — there will be some off-brand entertainment on offer for the lobbyists, loyalists, sycophants, and party functionaries who flocked to Milwaukee for the big show. DJ duo Milk N Cooks — purveyors of the fourth-most popular ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ remix on YouTube — headlined the Jamboree at the RNC’ on Monday night.” [Rolling Stone, 7/15/24]
Milk N Cooks Defended A Political Commentator Banned From Social Media Platform For Using A Racial Slur. According to Rolling Stone, “In recent years, Milk N Cooks have leaned into the alt-right identity with noxious posts like when they mocked Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), one of the most prominent Jews in Congress, for calling out antisemitic rhetoric, when they leapt to the defense of a political commentator banned from social media platform for using a racial slur, or when they posted in October 2022 ‘the sudden trend of the phrase ‘business people’ to describe high powered media elite jews is freaking hilarious lol.’” [Rolling Stone, 7/15/24]
Trump Appeared On A Livestream With Adin Ross. According to NBC News, “Former President Donald Trump on Monday continued a streak of appearances with controversial influencers, this time in a 90-minute livestream with Adin Ross. The live interview, streamed on the platform Kick, took place at Mar-a-Lago with a small live audience of Trump supporters, and featured Ross asking Trump questions about current events and world leaders, similar to Trump’s podcast interview with YouTuber Logan Paul. Along with his vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s appearance on a podcast hosted by the YouTube group Nelk Boys last week, the Republican ticket has aimed to reach young voters via content with influencers who have large, young male followings.” [NBC News, 8/5/24]
Ross Was Banned From Twitch For Homophobic Slurs And Displaying Racist And Anti-Jewish Messages On His Chat. According to NBC News, “Ross is know for his controversial collaborations and statements, and was banned from the livestream platform Twitch for saying homophobic slurs and displaying racist and anti-Jewish messages from his live chat (Ross is Jewish). Ross has also displayed pornographic images during his livestreams and promoted gambling to an audience that includes young boys.” [NBC News, 8/5/24]