An Energized White Nationalist Movement Rallies Behind Trump鈥檚 Immigration Plan
With his campaign showing no signs on slowing down, Donald Trump continued his war on immigrants by introducing a six-page immigration plan that reads like the playbook of the organized anti-immigrant movement in America.听 Trump鈥檚 plan --听calling for mass deportations, a border fence and gutting the 14th amendment -- also strengthened his support among white nationalists.
Trump鈥檚 toxic anti-immigrant rhetoric is not without consequence.听History tells us that specifically targeting a minority communities and whipping up a climate of fear and bigotry can have very real negative results.
Last week in Boston, two white men with a metal pipe and proceeded to urinate on him. Following their arrest, one of the men reportedly told police, 鈥淒onald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported.鈥�
But for many in the white nationalist world, Trump鈥檚 immigration plan has signified that he is the real deal, and his plan听a central rallying point for the radical right, as white nationalist Brad Griffin pointed out on his website Occidental Dissent last week:
I think a comparable moment just happened in American politics with marginalized and disaffected voters. All those people, long laughed at and excluded from the 鈥渕ainstream,鈥� who were cast out beyond the wall of 鈥渞espectability,鈥� are now in the tank for Donald Trump. The signal has gone out to join the Trump campaign and to openly organize in the mainstream under the banner of the Republican frontrunner to take down the hated c---servative establishment.
Griffin is not alone.听White nationalists from all sides of the movement are throwing their support behind Trump since his immigration plan was announced. Jared Taylor, one of the most significant white nationalists in the movement today,听gave Trump a glowing endorsement.
Writing on his American Renaissance website, Taylor claimed:
Donald Trump鈥檚 new position paper on immigration makes it official: He is easily the best presidential candidate on border security and immigration since Pat Buchanan. And we can be sure he is not a bait-and-switch politician who excites supporters with a few sensible ideas and then betrays them. Mr. Trump has single-handedly made immigration the key issue of this election. His heart is in it when he says we need to build a wall, deport illegals, and have an immigration 鈥減ause鈥� until every American who wants a job gets听one.
David Duke, probably the most well-known white nationalist in America, also voiced his support for Trump.
I praise the fact that he鈥檚 come out on the immigration issue. I鈥檓 beginning to get the idea that he鈥檚 a good salesman. That he鈥檚 an entrepreneur and he has a good sense of what people want to hear what they want to buy. 鈥� And I think he realizes that his path to popularity toward power in the Republican Party is talking about the immigration issue. And he has really said some incredibly great things recently. So whatever his motivation, I don鈥檛 give a damn. I really like the fact that he鈥檚 speaking out on this greatest immediate threat to the American people.
Trump is fully aware of his appeal to the far right. This past weekend, he followed in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan and visited the Deep South in an effort to galvanize support from the hardcore elements of his base.
On his presidential campaign trail in 1980, Ronald Reagan addressed a crowd of 30,000 at the Neshoba County Fairgrounds, just miles from where three civil rights workers in 1964 were brutally murdered, and spoke about his support of 鈥渟tates rights.鈥� Thirty-five years later, Trump addressed a similar sized crowd in Mobile, Ala., where he continued his tirade against immigrants, much to the glee of the thousands in attendance.
One person could be heard yelling 鈥渨hite power!鈥� during Trump鈥檚 remarks, and white nationalist Olaf Childress, editor of the racist paper The First Freedom was on hand to pass out copies to attendees. The New York Times also a Trump supporter who stated, 鈥淗opefully, he鈥檚 going to sit there and say, 鈥榃hen I become elected president, what we鈥檙e going to do is we鈥檙e going to make the border a vacation spot, it鈥檚 going to cost you $25 for a permit, and then you get $50 for every confirmed kill.听That鈥檇 be one nice thing.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 continued attack on immigrants comes at a time when expressions of rage from the radical right are numerous. The legalization of same-sex marriage and nationwide efforts to ban the Confederate battle flag are adding fuel to the fire. Racist message boards are also alight with support from Trump鈥檚 immigration plan.
Stormfront, the Web鈥檚 largest white supremacists website founded by former Klan leader Don Black, has no less than nine threads discussing the New York billionaire鈥檚 plan. With a history of violence attributed to the site鈥檚 users, it鈥檚 no surprise that Trump鈥檚 supporters have begun calling听for the murder of immigrants.听
In one thread, a user claimed it would only be plausible to deport 25 percent听of the undocumented immigrants in the country. Another user followed up with the statement, 鈥淓veryone in favor of shooting the rest鈥aise your hand.鈥�
Another user replied 鈥測ou have my sword鈥� accompanied by a photo of an assault rifle with several magazine clips and a handgun.
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