Donald Trump and his campaign team have named William Johnson, a well-known white nationalist, as a California delegate. From Mother Jones:
Johnson applied to the Trump campaign to be a delegate. He was accepted on Monday. In order to be approved he had to sign this pledge sent to him by the campaign: "I, William Johnson, endorse Donald J. Trump for the office of President of the United States. I pledge to cast ALL of my ballots to elect Donald J. Trump on every round of balloting at the 2016 Republican National Convention so that we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" After he signed, the Trump campaign added his name to the list of 169 delegates it forwarded to the secretary of state.
Johnson leads the American Freedom Party, a group that "exists to represent the political interests of White Americans" and aims to preserve "the customs and heritage of the European American people." The AFP has never elected a candidate of its own and possesses at most a few thousand members, but it is "arguably the most important white nationalist group in the country," according to Mark Potok, a senior fellow for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which tracks hate groups.
Johnson got the news that he had been selected by Trump in a congratulatory email sent to him by the campaign's California Delegate Coordinator, Katie Lagomarsino. "I just hope to show how I can be mainstream and have these views," Johnson tells Mother Jones. "I can be a white nationalist and be a strong supporter of Donald Trump and be a good example to everybody."
Emphasis added. Congrats to Donald Trump for helping to mainstream white nationalists! According to their website, some of the party platforms of the American Freedom Party include:
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Freedom to live in a healthy and moral society. A free people in a healthy society have strong family and marital bonds. Militant feminism and radical homosexuality have been foisted on the American people against their will. It’s time to end the hatred and demonization of men in the media and the bias against men in family law and return to a harmonious and positive balance between men and women that benefits society and both nuclear and extended families.
Militant feminism? No wonder they love Donald Trump.
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Freedom from the immigration invasion. Americans never wanted their country to be overwhelmed and fundamentally altered by allowing tens of millions of legal and illegal immigrants to enter and drain endless billions of taxpayer dollars in services. A free country defends its borders by securing them, and the American Freedom Party will construct a well-armed security fence along the entire southern border when it takes power.
Hate immigrants? Again! Donald Trump is their man.
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Freedom of association. Return to Americans their traditional right of freedom of association, including freedom in racial matters, along with the abolishment of all forms of government- and corporate-mandated racial discrimination and racial preferences, such as affirmative action, quotas, and all forms of “sensitivity training.” Freedom of association means that all races, ethnic groups and religions may openly celebrate their heritage and beliefs without interference or harassment from government and from media outlets and privately financed organizations.
The freedom to discriminate? Considering Donald Trump himself has faced civil rights charges, brought by the U.S. government, accusing him of violating the Fair Housing Act of 1968, it’s safe to say Donald Trump is definitely their man.
Read more about William Johnson and the Trump campaign at Mother Jones.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016 · 8:28:44 PM +00:00 · Jen Hayden
If you want to hear from William Johnson directly, here he is extolling the virtues of the white race and supporting candidates who “say nice things about the white race” at a 2013 American Freedom Party conference: