In another bizarre twist for the campaign of Donald Trump, the reality-TV star turned presidential candidate, the Huffington Post learned that the directors of the white nationalist American Freedom Party (AFP) have decided to “tone down” the rhetoric in order to get Trump elected. Emails obtained by the Huffington Post show the AFP’s directors working to “moderate” their message to obtain broader appeal.
Johnson claims to have personally answered hundreds of replies to the robocalls, which “were surprisingly favorable to Donald Trump. So yes, there is merit in toning down a white nationalist message to reach Trump supporters.” Trump has disavowed Johnson and his group, but it should surprise no one that according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the AFP was “initially established by racist Southern California skinheads and aims to deport immigrants and return the United States to white rule” – beliefs consistent with Trump’s rampant xenophobic stump rhetoric.
Trump is likely to be the Republican nominee for president. A man who incites violence at his rallies, is a serial liar (Politifact reports only 7% what he says is true), a racist, and a misogynist. Trump is also a rampant xenophobe, who has threatened to deport 11 million immigrants and ban all Muslims from this country. Donald Trump is a fascist authoritarian, and whether or not he publicly denounces white supremacist groups, his actions show he is aligned with their ideas and clearly the groups also believe that to be the case. Is this really the man we want representing the American people and American values throughout the world?