Trump’s Dinner with a White Supremacist Causes a GOP Storm
In a move that left many Republicans scratching their heads, former president Donald Trump was caught dining with a man widely labeled a white supremacist, Nick Fuentes, at Mar‑A‑Lago last Sunday. The incident comes as Trump gears up for a 2024 bid for the White House, and the reaction from party insiders has been sharp.
High‑Level Republicans Speak Out
- Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas governor, blasted Trump for “empowering extremism.” “It’s not a good idea for a leader to meet with an avowed racist or anti‑Semite,” he told CNN.
- James Comer of Kentucky reminded Trump that he needed “better judgment” over who he diners with. “I would never take a meeting with that person,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press.
The Proven Controversial Guest
Fuentes isn’t a random cameo; the U.S. Justice Department has labeled him a white supremacist, and he was at the January 6 rally that preceded the Capitol attack. The Anti‑Defamation League even reported that he once “jokingly denied the Holocaust” and compared Jews in concentration camps to “cookies in an oven.” That’s a pretty odd way to think about a tragedy.
Trump’s “Inadvertent” Explanation
Trump insisted the dinner was part of a larger meet‑up with rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West). “We got along great, he expressed no anti‑Semitism, and I appreciated all of the nice things he said about me on Tucker Carlson,” he posted on Truth Social. He added a tired shrug, “Why wouldn’t I agree to meet? Also, I didn’t know Nick Fuentes.”
Official Reactions
- The White House blasted the incident, calling bigotry, hate, and antisemitism “absolutely no place in America – including Mar‑A‑Lago.”
- President Joe Biden politely sidestepped reporters’ questions, stating, “You don’t want to hear what I think.”
- Former U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman weighed in via Twitter: “Anti‑Semites deserve no quarter among American leaders, right or left. Even a social visit from an antisemite like Kanye West and human scum like Nick Fuentes is unacceptable.”
When “Red Flags” Go Unnoticed
As Trump throws his hat back into the presidential ring, the GOP’s internal frown over this dinner signals that the party isn’t ready to turn a blind eye to anywhere that feels like a costume party for extremists. If the campaign is anything like the rest of the campaign, we’re in for an interesting ride.
