Controversial Congressman Touts Iowa 'Peasant Hunt' With Donald Trump Jr.
It might have been a good idea for Akron locals to clear out after white nationalist sympathizer Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) boasted in a tweet Saturday that he and Donald Trump Jr. were setting out on a “peasant hunt” in Iowa. The foray sounded even more ominous because King touted Trump’s shooting skill along with his extreme support of the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms.
Might wanna keep guns away from these guys, they keep shooting themselves in the foot. #PeasantHunt pic.twitter.com/EbSygesP6G
— 👻Scary Kurt 👻 (@horrorpalooza) October 29, 2017
King quickly corrected the tweet to what he intended to say all along and announced instead an Iowa “pheasant hunt,” — meaning birds, not people — causing peasants everywhere to breathe a sigh of relief. But it was far too late to keep Twitter quiet about the embarrassing gaffe.
Social media users took the opportunity to take shots at Trump and King, who has a controversial history of racist digs, appealing to white nationalist rhetoric. King came under a storm of criticism in March after he spoke up in support of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders. He tweeted that Wilders understands that we “can’t restore our civilization with someone else’s babies,” apparently referring to immigrants or people of color.
Former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke tweeted in return: “God bless Steve King!” King has also questioned what value nonwhites have contributed to the Republican Party.
Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies. https://t.co/4nxLipafWO
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) March 12, 2017
King invited Trump on the opening day of pheasant season for his annual Col. Bud Day Pheasant Hunt Saturday at the private Hole ’N the Wall Lodge and preserve in Akron, the Wisconsin-based Chippewa Herald reported. King hosts the two-day hunt each year as a political fundraiser.
Trump, who nailed a bird or two, recounted “witty” campaign stories to participants, said King, but avoided the press tagging along on the hunt. The 30 politicians on the hunt bagged about 95 birds. Trump Jr.’s hunting landed him in hot water in 2012 when he released several photos of himself with dead animals he had killed while on a safari. In one photo he proudly held aloft the tail of an elephant he had killed.
The Most Dangerous Game comes to life. https://t.co/H4AieC8tAx
— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) October 29, 2017
Peasant Hunt is the most GOP thing, ever. https://t.co/sOXerdKNOc
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) October 28, 2017
I'm only like 60% sure he meant Pheasant Hunt https://t.co/kfDRXY4urH
— James Hell Brooks (@BobbyBigWheel) October 29, 2017
The peasant hunt was always the most popular event at CPAC
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) October 29, 2017
The poor farmers of Iowa should be very worried if their Rep thinks so little of them that he has an annual peasant hunt. https://t.co/DF8dWbux5K
— one voice (@oneOvoice) October 29, 2017
— Gladstones Bones (@Revhightower) October 29, 2017
Not content with a regressive tax bill, the GOP has now resorted to hunting peasants for sport. https://t.co/x3hMoOmpXV
— Max Steele (@maxasteele) October 28, 2017
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Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump's eldest son
Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser
Paul Manafort, Trump's then-campaign chairman
Natalia Veselnitskaya, Russian lawyer
Rob Goldstone, music publicist
Anatoli Samochornov, Russian-American interpreter
Ike Kaveladze, Russian businessman
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
