Donald Trump Jr. Emerges as ‘Alt-Right’ Hero Even as Dad Tones Down Rhetoric
Image by Getty
By Sam Kestenbaum September 20, 2016
Donald Trump has seemingly tried to tone down his more outrageous comments — the kind that have made him a darling of the neo-white supremacists who call themselves the “alt-right”
But at the same time, Donald Trump Jr. has stepped up to the plate, directly appealing to the fringe right online and in interviews.
One of the most striking comments came Monday night — and caused a furor online:
This image says it all. Let’s end the politically correct agenda that doesn’t put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016
The image, which actually drew on older memes, struck many as offensive — both by comparing Syrians to Skittles, and suggesting that opening the door to refugees could be deadly for a country.
Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr, this is one of the millions of children you compared to a poisoned Skittle today: https://t.co/SDSGw0eUIP pic.twitter.com/HuhY9RGvWW
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 20, 2016
The company that owns Skittles said it “wasn’t an appropriate analogy” to compare people to candy. It turns out the photographer who took the stock image was once a refugee.
Analyzing Trump Jr.’s shift in the Atlantic, the writer David A. Graham said it’s not clear if he is reflecting his own beliefs — or simply seeking to fill a political void.
“The outstanding question now is whether Trump Jr. is a true believer in white genocide or is simply playing one for cynical political purposes, letting the internet’s committed racists know that even if Trump moderates his rhetoric, he still wants their votes.”
But the Skittles tweet isn’t the only time Trump Jr. has signaled to the far right — in the past 24 hours. He also recently shared an article from Breitbart, a right-wing website with the headline, “Western Women Will Be Sacrificed At The Alter Of Mass Migration.”
Europe’s Rape Epidemic: Western Women Will Be Sacrificed At The Altar Of Mass Migration https://t.co/BkguApQqvQ via @BreitbartNews
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 20, 2016
The Brietbart story declares that the “Western world is dominated by leaders who despise its history” who “wish to extinguish Western culture, and opening the borders is a hell of a good start.”
The language of the article and the tone of Trump Jr.’s meme echo earlier statements from his father.
The older Trump has suggested that President Barack Obama supports terrorists and has also retweeted writers who claim America is experiencing a “white genocide” — the white nationalist belief that intermarriage and immigration are leading to the “genocide” of white people.
Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
