Does Donald Trump have a problem with white supremacy in his campaign?
According to a new ad from the Hillary Clinton campaign, the answer is yes.
The controversy around Trump’s support amongst white supremacist and nationalist groups started back in February when a story surfaced that David Duke, the former Grand Wizard of the KKK (and a current Louisiana Senate candidate), was endorsing Donald Trump for president. When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Trump if he would disavow the endorsement, Trump refused saying he didn’t know enough about the group to disavow it. Trump later condemned the endorsement.
But it turns out Duke isn’t the only white nationalist enamored by Trump’s stances – according to this new political ad, “the reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes, [they] believe in.”
“Sending out all the illegals – building a wall,” says Jared Taylor of the American Renaissance website, “and a moratorium on Islamic immigration – that’s very appealing to a lot of ordinary white people.”
We then hear the quote from David Duke that caused so much controversy in February: “Voting against Donald Trump, at this point, is really treason to your heritage.”
The ad then jumps into Trump’s controversial hiring of Steve Bannon, who runs the hyper conservative website Breitbart News. We then see a commentator on CNN describe Breitbart as “a field day for the alt-right, which is racist and all sorts of other ‘ists.’”
Another describes the “alt-right” as a “sort of dressed-up-in-suits version of the neo-Nazi and white supremacists’ movements.”
“Our government has totally failed our African American friends, our Hispanic friends and the people of our country,” Trump continued. “The Democrats have completely failed the inner cities… You can go to war zones in countries that we are fighting and it’s safer than living in some of our cities that are run by the Democrats.”
“Give me a chance,” he begged the crowd. “I’ll straighten it out. What do you have to lose?”
After that line, the mostly white crowd erupted in applause.
According to a new ad from the Hillary Clinton campaign, the answer is yes.
The controversy around Trump’s support amongst white supremacist and nationalist groups started back in February when a story surfaced that David Duke, the former Grand Wizard of the KKK (and a current Louisiana Senate candidate), was endorsing Donald Trump for president. When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Trump if he would disavow the endorsement, Trump refused saying he didn’t know enough about the group to disavow it. Trump later condemned the endorsement.
But it turns out Duke isn’t the only white nationalist enamored by Trump’s stances – according to this new political ad, “the reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes, [they] believe in.”
Donald Trump and the “Alt-Right”
The ad features sound bites and news clips of various “white nationalists” expressing their fondness for Donald Trump.“Sending out all the illegals – building a wall,” says Jared Taylor of the American Renaissance website, “and a moratorium on Islamic immigration – that’s very appealing to a lot of ordinary white people.”
We then hear the quote from David Duke that caused so much controversy in February: “Voting against Donald Trump, at this point, is really treason to your heritage.”
The ad then jumps into Trump’s controversial hiring of Steve Bannon, who runs the hyper conservative website Breitbart News. We then see a commentator on CNN describe Breitbart as “a field day for the alt-right, which is racist and all sorts of other ‘ists.’”
Another describes the “alt-right” as a “sort of dressed-up-in-suits version of the neo-Nazi and white supremacists’ movements.”
A Dog Whistle, or a Misunderstanding?
Despite Donald Trump’s alleged problem with attracting white supremacists, this week Trump has tried to repair his standing among minority voters. At a recent rally in Akron, Ohio, Trump made the case that under Democratic leadership, “our inner cities are suffering like never before.”“Our government has totally failed our African American friends, our Hispanic friends and the people of our country,” Trump continued. “The Democrats have completely failed the inner cities… You can go to war zones in countries that we are fighting and it’s safer than living in some of our cities that are run by the Democrats.”
“Give me a chance,” he begged the crowd. “I’ll straighten it out. What do you have to lose?”
After that line, the mostly white crowd erupted in applause.