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NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is renewing attraction to his agelong past of turning a unsighted oculus to bigotry aft eating with a Holocaust-denying achromatic nationalist and the rapper formerly known arsenic Kanye West conscionable days into his 3rd run for the White House.
Trump had meal Tuesday astatine his Mar-a-Lago nine with West, who is present known arsenic Ye, arsenic good arsenic Nick Fuentes, a far-right activistic who has utilized his online level to spew antisemitic and achromatic nationalist rhetoric.
Ye, who says he, too, is moving for president successful 2024, has made his ain series of antisemitic comments successful caller weeks, starring to his suspension from societal media platforms, his endowment bureau dropping him and companies similar Adidas cutting ties with him. The sportswear shaper has besides launched an investigation into his conduct.
In a connection from the White House, spokesperson Andrew Bates said: “Bigotry, hate, and antisemitism person perfectly nary spot successful America — including astatine Mar-A-Lago. Holocaust denial is repugnant and dangerous, and it indispensable beryllium forcefully condemned.”
Trump, successful a bid of statements Friday, said helium had “never met and knew thing about” Fuentes earlier helium arrived with Ye astatine his club. But Trump besides did not admit Fuentes’ long past of racist and antisemitic remarks, nor did helium denounce either man’s defamatory statements.
Trump wrote of Ye connected his societal media level that “we got on great, helium expressed nary anti-Semitism, & I appreciated each of the bully things helium said astir maine connected ‘Tucker Carlson.’” He added, “Why wouldn’t I hold to meet?”
The erstwhile president has a agelong past of failing to unequivocally condemn hatred speech. During his 2016 campaign, Trump waffled erstwhile asked to denounce the KKK aft helium was endorsed by the group’s erstwhile leader, saying successful a televised interrogation that helium didn’t “know thing astir David Duke.” In 2017, successful the aftermath of the deadly achromatic supremacist protests successful Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump was wide criticized for saying determination was “blame connected some sides” for the violence. And his rallies often diagnostic inflammatory rhetoric from figures similar U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who spoke earlier this twelvemonth astatine a far-right league organized by Fuentes.
The latest episode, coming conscionable 1 week aft Trump launched his 3rd tally for the Republican nomination, besides underscored however loosely controlled entree to the erstwhile president remained, peculiarly without a accepted run cognition successful place.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago nine came nether aggravated scrutiny amid revelations that Trump was storing hundreds of documents with classified markings determination — sparking a national investigation. But the nine — and the radical it gave entree to Trump — had agelong been a root of consternation among erstwhile White House aides.
Mar-a-Lago is not lone Trump’s home, but besides a backstage nine and lawsuit space. Paid members and their guests dine alongside him and often mingle with him; members of the nationalist tin publication weddings, fundraisers and different events, and Trump often drops by.
Ye archetypal shared details of the meal successful a video helium posted to his Twitter relationship Thursday. Ye said helium had traveled to Florida to inquire Trump to beryllium his 2024 moving mate, and that the gathering had grown heated, with Trump “perturbed” by his petition and Ye angered by Trump’s disapproval of his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian.
“When Trump started fundamentally screaming astatine maine astatine the array telling maine I was gonna lose. I mean, has that ever worked for anyone successful history, telling Ye that I’m going to lose?” Ye asked successful the video. “You’re talking to Ye!”
Ye besides said Trump was “really impressed with Nick Fuentes,” whom helium described arsenic “actually a loyalist” and said he’d asked Trump, “Why erstwhile you had the accidental did you not escaped the January 6th-ers?” referring to the defendants who were alleged to person participated successful the deadly insurrection astatine the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump released a bid of statements Friday trying to explicate the circumstances of the meeting.
“Kanye West precise overmuch wanted to sojourn Mar-a-Lago. Our meal gathering was intended to beryllium Kanye and maine only, but helium arrived with a impermanent whom I had ne'er met and knew thing about,” Trump said successful his archetypal connection released by his campaign.
Not agelong after, Trump took to his societal media web to accidental that Ye and “three of his friends, whom I knew thing about” had “unexpectedly showed up” astatine his club.
“We had meal connected Tuesday evening with galore members contiguous connected the backmost patio. The meal was speedy and uneventful. They past near for the airport,” helium wrote.
Hours aboriginal helium again posted, saying helium had told Ye that helium “should decidedly not tally for President,” and that “any voters you whitethorn person should ballot for TRUMP.”
“Anyway, we got on great, helium expressed nary anti-Semitism, & I appreciated each of the bully things helium said astir maine connected ‘Tucker Carlson.’” helium added. “Why wouldn’t I hold to meet? Also, I didn’t cognize Nick Fuentes.”
Fuentes, meanwhile, said aft the travel that, portion helium couldn’t regularisation retired that Trump had heard of him, “I don’t deliberation helium knew that I was maine astatine the dinner.”
“I didn’t mean for my statements and my full inheritance to benignant of go a nationalist relations occupation for the president,” helium added connected his show.
The gathering drew contiguous disapproval from Trump critics arsenic good arsenic immoderate supporters, including David Friedman, who served arsenic Trump’s ambassador to Israel.
“To my person Donald Trump, you are amended than this. Even a societal sojourn from an antisemite similar Kanye West and quality scum similar Nick Fuentes is unacceptable,” Friedman wrote successful a tweet. “I impulse you to propulsion those bums out, disavow them and relegate them to the dustbin of past wherever they belong.”
On Saturday, erstwhile Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a imaginable 2024 rival, besides denounced antisemitism, without straight referencing the meal oregon the president nether whom helium served.
“Anti-Semitism is simply a cancer,” Pompeo wrote, adding: “We basal with the Jewish radical successful the combat against the world’s oldest bigotry.”
Biden, asked astir the Trump meal gathering portion vacationing successful Nantucket, Massachusetts, replied, “You don’t privation to perceive what I think.”
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