Trump’s Reluctant Support for White Nationalists

Trump’s Reluctant Support for White Nationalists

Opinion: Condemning Kanye West’s antisemitism is easy. Vigilance is harder.

Kanye West, the rapper and fashion mogul/fashion designer who just posted a picture of himself with President Trump, is not my favorite person to condemn for his blatant misogyny. I have had some of the most painful experiences with misogyny, and I know firsthand where it hurts, and I do not think I have ever experienced the kind of pain this man has. I have tried to be as kind as possible to Mr. West, to make it clear it is not ok. But I think I must be consistent with my statement because I don’t want to lose my friends, my followers, and because I don’t want to lose myself. If you think this is too hard for me to say, and that you don’t need to listen to me, then feel free to not listen. But I am telling you how I feel and why I feel.

Last July, the president had a message to the world: “This has been a really tough month for me,” Trump said, referring to the deadly Charlottesville protests. “I’ve been very upset with the way some have treated people that I have looked down on, called names, and just being lumped in with some of the worst of people. I’ve been very, very tough on certain people, and that’s OK. This is a tough business. So I’ve been very tough, and I’ll be very tough to them.”

In an interview, the rapper said this is one of his few regrets. The president replied, “I was with you on the campaign, and we’re gonna have to do things together.”

Trump has since disavowed white nationalists who marched in Charlottesville in mid-August. Since then, he’s spoken publicly of his relationship with the rapper and repeatedly used his support on social media, including a #MeToo-esque thread that has since been deleted. The president has also defended the right of athletes to express themselves in “public” and condemned the rapper’s decision to wear a T-shirt to the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, which contains the message “Fuck Donald Trump

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