What We Know About Trump’s Dinner With Nick Fuentes

[ThatRobGuy]

What We Know About Trump’s Dinner With White Supremacist Nick Fuentes

The former president is claiming he did not know who his notorious dinner guest was.

nymag.com

Former president Donald Trump is continuing to face backlash after hosting and dining with notorious white supremacist and avowed antisemite Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago estate on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Trump, who recently announced his 2024 presidential campaign, has since both acknowledged and attempted to downplay the dinner and distance himself from Fuentes, insisting he did not know who he was.

Fuentes, 24, is one of the most prominent young white supremacists in the U.S. He regularly expresses and promotes racist and antisemitic views and conspiracy theories, including denial of the Holocaust, and is the organizer of an annual white-supremacist gathering called the America First Political Action Conference.

Trump said in a statement on Friday. He later posted on Truth Social that West:

unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about. We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio. The dinner was quick and uneventful. They then left for the airport.

Regardless of whether he's being honest about not knowing who Fuentes is (and there's reason to be skeptical of his denial of being aware of who he was), this one is definitely a bad look and I would imagine his team is in "damage control mode".


While it does bear some resemblance to the scenario a few years back where David Duke endorsed him, and he claimed "I don't know who that is" (people were rightfully skeptical of that denial as well), there's a difference between a bad guy endorsing you without you asking for it (which one has no control over), and actually sitting down to a dinner with someone who's coming along with a high profile guy like Kanye.

And while he said they unexpectedly showed up for a dinner...even if that was the case, you'd think his team (especially being on 'red alert' for things "the press can have a field day with") would've at least done the due diligence of getting the guests names, and having them wait in the lobby for 3 mins while they did a google search of who these folks were.

 

[Brihaha]

Trump is simply desperate for friendship. Combined with his lack of inhibitions and prudence, this dinner demonstrates how unfit Trump is for president. Thankfully our DOJ removed those sensitive intelligence documents from Mara Lago!

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Trump is simply desperate for friendship. Combined with his lack of inhibitions and prudence, this dinner demonstrates how unfit Trump is for president. Thankfully our DOJ removed those sensitive intelligence documents from Mara Lago!

Combined with the fact that when he puts himself in positions like this (whether through ignorance as he's claiming, or via lack of inhibitions as you're suggesting), it all but forces him to undermine some of his own talking points in order to provide a defense.

When half of his talking points are centered around ideas like "having his finger on the pulse and knowing what's happening in the culture", and bragging about "nobody knows more about politics than me", "nobody knows more about history than me", etc... having to defend yourself by saying "well, I didn't know who that was" (when referring to people like David Duke and Nick Fuentes) shoots his "I know more about XYZ than anyone" talking points out of the water.

The "Self-proclaimed expert pleading ignorance" routine would (and should) be off-putting to most people, but I suspect it won't impact any of his loyal followers, but you never know, maybe they'll pleasantly surprise me.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Fuentes, 24, is one of the most prominent young white supremacists in the U.S.

His name is Fuentes and he is a "white" supremacist?!?!?

 

[Brihaha]

Combined with the fact that when he puts himself in positions like this (whether through ignorance as he's claiming, or via lack of inhibitions as you're suggesting), it all but forces him to undermine some of his own talking points in order to provide a defense.

When half of his talking points are centered around ideas like "having his finger on the pulse and knowing what's happening in the culture", and bragging about "nobody knows more about politics than me", "nobody knows more about history than me", etc... having to defend yourself by saying "well, I didn't know who that was" (when referring to people like David Duke and Nick Fuentes) shoots his "I know more about XYZ than anyone" talking points out of the water.

The "Self-proclaimed expert pleading ignorance" routine would (and should) be off-putting to most people, but I suspect it won't impact any of his loyal followers, but you never know, maybe they'll pleasantly surprise me.

I have been spending some time in comment sections of right wing media lately. It is an interesting dynamic playing out now. Many Trump voters are finally realizing Trump is far too toxic to win the presidency again. And when they say this, the trumpers insult them and call them names. They will not accept the political reality regarding Trump's declining popularity. The trumpers loudly and proudly say they won't even vote if Trump is not the republican nominee.

Meanwhile, if Trump is the nominee, the majority of American voters have clearly demonstrated we won't vote for Trump. Republicans have wedged themselves tightly between the Scylla and Charybdis presently. Desantis or other republicans are certainly better suited for office than Trump. Yet Trump will continue to force himself on America regardless of America's needs. I wish republicans had better leadership because America is paying the price for their timidity in dealing with Trump.

 

[Brihaha]

His name is Fuentes and he is a "white" supremacist?!?!?

Yes. His ancestors were European. He calls himself a "Christian conservative" yet his behavior illustrates his true fruits.

You are being redirected...

 

[ThatRobGuy]

His name is Fuentes and he is a "white" supremacist?!?!?

When first heard of him a few years back, that was my initial reaction too.

I wasn't sure if it was an Enrique Tarrio (and the proud boys) situation where he wasn't white, but led a group that had some loose indirect ties with some supremacists groups...

But after I saw some of his content, it was pretty clear that this wasn't an "indirect/loosely-affiliated" sort of thing like it was with Tarrio, and he actually was just a blatant bigot (with the largest amount of his vitriol aimed at the Jewish population)

His followers (or Groypers as they're called) are the ones that are so extreme, that they're even too far right for even people who are considered to be "pretty far right wing" by contemporary standards.

They've gone as far as harassing Ben Shapiro and his family when they're out in public and following Ben's wife and kids, and showing up at speaking events to try to harass the other members of the Daily Wire.

Though, I will say, to their credit, Michael Knowles and Matt Walsh (whether people love them or hate them) do a decent job of putting them in their place quite publicly when they show up and start trying to espouse blatantly bigoted ideas.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Yes. His ancestors were European. He calls himself a "Christian conservative" yet his behavior illustrates his true fruits.

You are being redirected...

His name is FUENTES and he is European?!?!? It is a Spanish name...and could be Sephardic (Jewish)!

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

When first heard of him a few years back, that was my initial reaction too.

he actually was just a blatant bigot (with the largest amount of his vitriol aimed at the Jewish population)

His followers (or Groypers as they're called) are the ones that are so extreme, that they're even too far right for even people who are considered to be "pretty far right wing" by contemporary standards.

That is funny because Fuentes could be a Sephardic (Jewish) name from Spain. What is a "groyper"?

 

[Desk trauma]

What is a "groyper"?

It's explained in that sentence you quoted.

 

[RestoreTheJoy]

Yes. His ancestors were European. He calls himself a "Christian conservative" yet his behavior illustrates his true fruits.

You are being redirected...

You are aware that "white supremacist" is not a synonym of Christian conservative, right?

In reality, there are very few white supremacists left in existence. That's just a boogeyman that propaganda sources throw out ("Does not comply with our narrative = white supremacist"

Check out the attendance at a KKK rally, whenever one is held (rare- but there was one a few years ago in the midwest - 9 guys, I think).

 

[Brihaha]

You are aware that "white supremacist" is not a synonym of Christian conservative, right?

Yes, I am aware they are not actually synonyms. I am of the opinion that is exactly why Fuentes reckons himself a Christian conservative rather than a white supremacist. It sounds less offensive. Notwithstanding the fact his movement wanders straight into the realm of white supremacy. The failures of the KKK is not proof white supremacists are any fewer in number. I have family in Indiana and I see those supremacists on nearly every visit. It's but one reason my visits are infrequent now.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

In reality, there are very few white supremacists left in existence. That's just a boogeyman that propaganda sources throw out ("Does not comply with our narrative = white supremacist"


Check out the attendance at a KKK rally, whenever one is held (rare- but there was one a few years ago in the midwest - 9 guys, I think).

...either there's more of them than people are willing to admit, or the small percentage of them that do exist have some connections with people who are "juiced in" with some prominent political figures.

Otherwise a dinner meeting like this one being discussed would be so statistically improbable that it'd be nearly impossible.

Either the sentiments are more widely held than "just 9 guys in the Midwest" (as not every person having those views is going to be joining an officially designated, nationally-recognized hate organization), or the few that are out there are so well-connected via overlapping social circles that one of the "fringe few" happens to end up in this dinner meeting (which is still indicative of a problem)

The notion that a member of a small rag-tag group of fringe folks, with no elite connections, through random dumb luck, just happened to luck his way into a dinner meeting with a former president (and future candidate) at the former president's private resort is a bit of a dubious proposition.

 

[Belk]

His name is FUENTES and he is European?!?!? It is a Spanish name...and could be Sephardic (Jewish)!

You are aware that Spain is part of Europe?

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

...either there's more of them than people are willing to admit, or the small percentage of them that do exist have some connections with people who are "juiced in" with some prominent political figures.

Ding,ding,ding! This is a winner!

 

[Blade]

Like trump said over 30 years ago "I get blamed for everything" haha. Its great everyone likes to keep him in the news for any press is good press.

 

[Desk trauma]

Like trump said over 30 years ago "I get blamed for everything" haha.

Clearly he cannot be held responsible for who he invites to his own dinner table.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Like trump said over 30 years ago "I get blamed for everything" haha. Its great everyone likes to keep him in the news for any press is good press.

So you don't think that him (while working on a 2024 campaign) having a prominent holocaust denier over for dinner is newsworthy?

If he really didn't know who Fuentes was, and he's not an antisemite, he should be pretty ticked off that his buddy Kanye brought that guy over for dinner and should be blowing up Truth Social with posts about how mad he is about it.

If I had a co-worker who brought their friend with him over to my place for pizza, and I found out after the fact that the person was a member of the Aryan Nation, I'd no longer be friends with that co-worker, and would be telling anyone who would listen how angry I was about it and making sure that people knew that didn't represent me and that I had nothing to do with them.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

It's explained in that sentence you quoted.

Yeah but WHY "Groyper"? What does that mean?

 

[Desk trauma]

Yeah but WHY "Groyper"? What does that mean?

I don't care.