During the 2016 campaign, President Donald Trump was endorsed by former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke. At first, Trump wouldn't disavow Duke's endorsement, claiming not to know who he was. After outcry, Trump's campaign said that he did not support Duke's views.
Another famous white supremacist, Richard Spencer, also endorsed Donald Trump and often spoke in public advocating his policies.
By 2018, Spencer said that Trump's moment was gone, and on August 23, Spencer said he intended to vote for Biden.
I plan to vote for Biden and a straight democratic ticket. It's not based on “accelerationism" or anything like that; the liberals are clearly more competent people.
— Richard 🦁 Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) August 23, 2020
But the Biden campaign's Rapid Response Director, Andrew Bates, quickly disavowed Spencer's endorsement, asserting that Spencer represented the "vile forces of hate" from which Biden is trying to steer the nation.
When Joe Biden says we are in a battle for the soul of our nation against vile forces of hate who have come crawling out from under rocks, you are the epitome of what he means. What you stand for is absolutely repugnant. Your support is 10,000% percent unwelcome here. https://t.co/86reJEoTCd
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) August 24, 2020
It's debatable how genuine Spencer's endorsement of Biden actually is.
He's since gone on to tweet trolling comments about the 2020 election as a whole, including a picture of himself in an avatar endorsing the Biden campaign.
pic.twitter.com/KY2r61RW3k
— Richard 🦁 Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) August 24, 2020
No malarky detected https://t.co/1lA5gtbugO
— Richard 🦁 Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) August 24, 2020
Some called out Spencer's antics.
Richard Spencer is a racist troll who purposely adopts his opponents' causes and pretends to back them in order to undermine them and get attention. That's what he did when he pretended to support "Zionism" (when he actually hates Israel & Jews). Folks should stop falling for it! pic.twitter.com/fWc7lNSO9b
— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) August 24, 2020
LMAO, you guys are desperate aren't you? I know this is a typical Trump supporting tactic to own the libs. You know darn well Richard Spencer is a Trump supporter. https://t.co/DWmHHYXqeB
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) August 24, 2020
Uh, Richard Spencer clearly does not support Biden in earnest, he's just doing this so people will associate Biden with him and therefore not vote for him, making it slightly easier for Trump to engineer the results of the election. It won't work, but yeah. pic.twitter.com/ag2pLVLRb3
— Esteban (@BeautifulGame89) August 24, 2020
Richard Spencer proclaiming his support for Biden isn't surprising. I can think of a few reasons why. Like, Provide the Republicans with propaganda they can use against Democrats. "You like Biden? Well, guess who else does too!"
— Post-Comprehension📼 (@RGravare) August 24, 2020
Others commended the Biden campaign's swift disavowal of the endorsement.
Richard Spencer endorsed Joe Biden.
Joe Biden rejected Richard Spencer's endorsement.
That is how it's done.
— JRehling (@JRehling) August 24, 2020
Nazi scumbag Richard Spencer who was punched in the face on camera just tried to endorse Joe Biden for President and the Biden campaign immediately rejected and condemned that endorsement.
That my friends is how it's done. Plain and simple. Full stop.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) August 24, 2020
Joe Biden's campaign has rejected the endorsement of Richard Spencer.
Something Trump failed to do with David Duke.
— The Resistance 🇺🇸 (@NightlyPolitics) August 24, 2020
Trump had to repeatedly dodge questions from @JakeTapper before finally (and hesitantly) disavowing David Duke.
Biden didn't think twice before disavowing Richard Spencer in the strongest terms.
Very telling. https://t.co/tjJGKBh9gy
— Ali A. Rizvi (@aliamjadrizvi) August 24, 2020
This is how you do it 👇 https://t.co/cYfGtXUS5f
— Dan Riley (@ThreeColumnsArt) August 24, 2020
The Biden campaign immediately rejected it, of course. Unlike Trump, who took two days to condemn the Nazis after the Charlottesville rally and the mass murder attempt on the mall. https://t.co/Uawg6NOpBK
— Jonathan Myerson Katz (@KatzOnEarth) August 24, 2020
Trump's hesitation to disavow endorsements from unsavory characters continues to raise eyebrows. Trump and his chief of staff Mark Meadows have refused to disavow QAnon, conspiracy theorists who believe that Trump is saving the world from a network of satanic pedophiles and cannibals operating within the U.S. government.
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