On Wednesday night, it was revealed that Trump had a meal with musician Kanye West and businessman Fuentes, in advance of Thanksgiving. Trump has subsequently both confirmed he had a scheduled dinner with Kanye and not with Fuentes with whom he attempted to distance himself from this incident on Friday.
Fuentes, a Trump supporter has been labeled a far-right white supremacist and Neo-Nazi by the mainstream media due to some of his positions and content which could be also taken out of context. NOTE: Fuentes was not invited by Trump, he was a guest of Kanye West.
According to Jonathan Swan of Axios, Trump and Fuentes “fawned” over one another during the dinner. Swan reported that Trump questioned Fuentes, “You like it better when I simply go off the cuff,’ the source added, at one point during the conversation. When Trump acted without restraint, according to Fuentes, he was a “great” president. The person continued, “There was a lot of fawning back and forth.”
Trump’s confirmation of the restaurant and some of the subsequent facts from that evening were discussed in a piece by Breitbart’s Jerome Hudson and Matthew Boyle.
The most likely Republican candidate for president in 2024—the outgoing president and the only official GOP contender for the position as of right now—seems to have met with Fuentes, an outspoken white nationalist, antisemite, and Holocaust denier. These most recent revelations turn what could have been a minor story into a major national narrative.
The now-defunct YouTube profile for Fuentes is littered with racist and antisemitic tirades from as far back as 2014.
As a counterprogram to CPAC, Fuentes, the head of the so-called Groyper Army, hosts an annual conference which many have labeled a gathering for white nationalists. A informal network of alt-right activists known as “Groypers” frequently disrupts mainstream conservative gatherings to try to sway conservatism in favor of nationalism.
In addition to denying the Holocaust, Fuentes is against “liberal” ideals like feminism and LGBTQ+ rights and is in favor of closing the U.S. borders to immigrants. According to the ADL, Fuentes sees these socioeconomic changes as the “bastardized Jewish undermining of the American credo.”
‘Groyper’ leader on segregation:
“Enough with the Jim Crow stuff. Who cares? ‘Oh, I had to drink out of a different water fountain.’ Big f—ing deal…oh no, they had to go to a different school…And even if it was bad, who cares?…it was better for them, it’s better for us.” pic.twitter.com/ZJ7LqpTHgL
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 18, 2019
Some of Fuentes’ more heinous racist monologues, including one in which he promotes segregation, were published by Breitbart in their investigation. According to the story above the video, “He also argued Jim Crow laws, segregated water fountains, and segregated schools were all “better for” white and black people.”
‘Groyper’ leader on segregation:
“Enough with the Jim Crow stuff. Who cares? ‘Oh, I had to drink out of a different water fountain.’ Big f—ing deal…oh no, they had to go to a different school…And even if it was bad, who cares?…it was better for them, it’s better for us.” pic.twitter.com/ZJ7LqpTHgL
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 18, 2019
Trump was criticized by Breitbart for meeting with West. “Trump also met with West less than a month after his antisemitic comments — from threatening to go “death con [sic] 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” to asserting that the “Jewish people have owned the black voice” — caused a media flurry that is also newsworthy for a number of reasons,” wrote Hudson and Boyle.
They continued: “First, Trump’s views on West’s antisemitic comments can’t go It also begs the question of why Trump would meet with a potential rival, no matter how serious or unserious that person’s bid may be, given that West claims to be running for president in 2024 and that he requested Trump to be his vice presidential candidate.
