Donald Trump is making friends with some truly terrible people

The U.S. Supreme Court has stated in a series of decisions that association with one or more people who commit a crime does not constitute conclusive evidence that a defendant is guilty of that crime. But in politics, where the selection of staff, advisers, and allies provides important information about the views and values of candidates and officeholders, a different standard seems appropriate.

Former President Donald Trump provides a case in point.

In November 2022, Kanye West, the rapper who goes by Ye, had dinner with the former president at Mar-a-Lago. Nick Fuentes, an uninvited guest, accompanied him. Ye frequently praised Hitler and the Nazis. Fuentes, a prominent Holocaust denier, white supremacist and misogynist, claims: “The Founding Fathers never intended for America to become a refugee camp for non-white people.”

A cross-party firestorm of criticism followed. “You are better than this,” wrote David Friedman, Trump’s ambassador to Israel. “Even a social visit from an anti-Semite like Kanye West and a human scum like Nick Fuentes is unacceptable. I urge you to throw these bums out, disavow them and relegate them to the dustbin of history where they belong.”

Trump claimed he “never met Fuentes and knew nothing about him” and posted that he “got along well” with Ye, who “didn’t express any anti-Semitism and I appreciated all the nice things he said about me.” . Trump did not condemn either man’s hate speech.

Far-right provocateur Laura Loomer describes herself as a “proud Islamophobe.” She called the September 11 attack “an inside job” orchestrated by the US government. In 2017, as thousands of migrants drowned in the Mediterranean, Loomer posted “Good,” accompanied by a hand clapping emoji and a toast: “Here’s to 2,000 more.” Last month, Loomer predicted that if Kamala Harris, her mother of Indian descent is elected president, “the White House will smell of curry and speeches in the White House will be facilitated by a call center.”

Earlier this year, Loomer traveled on Trump’s plane for a campaign trip to Iowa. In September she flew with him to Philadelphia. Loomer attended two events with the former president to commemorate the victims of 9/11.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) recently called Loomer “a crazy conspiracy theorist who spews disgusting garbage on a regular basis.”

Trump seems to have a different opinion. “You are a very stubborn woman,” Trump told Loomer last year. “I like it.” At a cryptocurrency conference this summer, Trump praised her: “She’s a fantastic person, a great woman.”

Responding to concerns about her influence over him, Trump said: “I don’t control Laura. Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a free spirit.” And perhaps most importantly to him, “I know she’s a big fan of the campaign… you want her on your side.”

A short list of inflammatory comments from North Carolina Governor Mark Robinson include: a statement after the 2016 Pulse nightclub mass shooting that “homosexuality is a heinous sin”; a 2018 claim that “this nonsense about Hitler disarming millions of Jews and then marching them to concentration camps is a load of nonsense”; a claim, despite acknowledging that his wife had an abortion before their wedding, that “abortion kills the child because you weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down.”

Nonetheless, Trump provided “complete and unqualified support” that helped Robinson win the GOP nomination for governor. “He is an outstanding human being,” Trump emphasized, an “incredible gentleman” who should be “treasured… like a fine wine”; “One of the big stars of the party, one of the big stars of politics.” At a campaign appearance with Robinson, Trump said that the lieutenant governor was “better than Martin Luther King” and that he was MLK “on steroids.”

CNN recently discovered posts purportedly written by Robinson on an online pornography forum. “I enjoy watching shemale-on-girl porn,” Robinson wrote. “It brings the man out but leaves the man in! And yes, I’m a pervert too.” Robinson appeared to complain that the KKK did not accept blacks into its ranks, stating that if he had been a member he would have called the MLK “Martin Luther Koon.” And Robinson said, “Slavery is not bad. Some people have to be slaves. I wish they would bring it back. I would definitely buy a few.”

Although Robinson has denied that the posts were his, the evidence appears to be conclusive. Last week, four top officials resigned from his campaign. Nevertheless, Trump has not yet criticized Robinson, let alone asked him to step down.

In July, “after much consideration and consideration,” Trump named Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate. “I couldn’t be happier,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t think it’s a secret that he’s kind of my type.”

Vance, who once said conspiracy theories were “idiotic,” has spread more than his fair share. He says the federal government allowed fentanyl into the country to kill conservative and rural voters. In defense of the conspiracy theory, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Republican of Georgia) once said that “believing in crazy things is not the determining factor in whether someone should be rejected.”

In September, Vance debunked claims that Haitian immigrants had kidnapped, killed and eaten pets in Springfield, Ohio. “If I have to make up stories so that the American media will actually pay attention to the suffering of the American people,” he told CNN, “then I will do that.”

It’s safe to assume that Ye, Fuentes, Loomer, Robinson and Vance are Donald Trump’s people. And hoping that Americans will consider his guilt by association when voting.

Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor Emeritus of American Studies at Cornell University.

Find the latest news, weather, sports and streaming videos on The Hill.

Recent Posts