Why Wouldn't Donald Trump Have Dinner With a Nazi?

We're long past there being any actual repercussions for stuff like this.

WILLIAM EDWARDS/AFP via Getty Images

You’ve probably heard the rough outline of what happened: Last week, former musician Kanye West-turned-current-antisemite Ye made the spontaneous trip to Mar a Lago, FL, to make the bizarre ask that President Donald Trump abandon his ego-driven campaign for president in favor of becoming the Vice President on Ye’s ego-driven campaign for president. Unsurprisingly, the offer was rejected.

What did seem to surprise people, however, was that rather than stopping Ye and his entourage at the door, Trump hosted the group for dinner. That group, it just so happens, included Nick Fuentes, a committed White Nationalist and Nazi fanboy who marched at the Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville. He’s the sort of charming guy who brags about being “just like Hitler” and complains about Republicans who promise to “flood the zone with n***** votes.” Fuentes’ sole virtue is being able to makes Ye’s rampant antisemitism look mild comparison. While Ye’s bizarre anti-Jewish rants come at the tail end of a career defined by mental illness and attention seeking stunts, Fuentes is the real deal: a dyed in the wool, committed, and deeply connected Nazi.

So, of course Donald Trump had dinner with him.