GOP Shows White Supremacist’s Tweet During Trump’s Speech
The Republican National Convention displayed a tweet by a white-supremacist account during Donald Trump’s nomination acceptance speech on Thursday night.
The tweet, written by the account @Western_Triumph, appeared on four large screens in the Quicken Loans Arena Republican after the halfway mark during Donald Trump’s acceptance speech on Thursday night. It was one of a series of tweets by Twitter users that appeared in the hall that were curated by the Republican National Convention.
The tweet cited a line from Trump’s speech accepting the Republican nomination.
"Tonight I'm with you, I will fight for you, and I will WIN for you!"
-Donald J TrumpIt's time to start WINNING again!#TrumpIsWithYou
— Western Triumph (@Western_Triumph) July 22, 2016
@Western_Triumph’s Twitter bio includes a series of white supremacist slogans as hashtags, including “#AltRight,” “#ProWhite,” and “#RaceRealist.” In other tweets, the account’s author advocates for apartheid and race segregation among other racist messages.
Detroit
Birmingham
Baltimore
etc
Proof is clear: Whites build things, and blacks destroy them.
Hence…..Africa. https://t.co/7y0CqIrkbo— Western Triumph (@Western_Triumph) July 10, 2016
The Republican National Convention did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has been accused for tacitly encouraging racism on the Internet and among his followers. He declined several times last year to disavow the endorsement of David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
Last year, Trump retweeted incorrect statistics that suggested blacks were responsible for 81% of white homicide victims. In June, the Republican nominee retweeted an image that had first appeared on a white supremacist website and included a Jewish star, along with Hillary Clinton’s face and the words “Most Corrupt Candidate Ever” superimposed on a pile of money.
The tweet by @Western_Triumph was one of a series of tweets the RNC showed during Trump’s remarks in which he accepted the Republican nomination.
This is running on the tweet screen loop here at #RNCinCLE check out the account. pic.twitter.com/9kgpzBLrlK
— Andy Aplikowski (@AAARF) July 22, 2016
It’s not the first snafu the Republican National Convention has made with its Twitter screen. The party also displayed during the convention proceedings on Monday a tweet by the white-supremacist group VDARE.
That's right–that's VDARE on the tweet-ticker inside the GOP convention hall in Cleveland. Up next: Ricky Vaughn. pic.twitter.com/VJ4os8r3DF
— Jeff B/DDHQ (@EsotericCD) July 20, 2016
At another point, the party displayed a tweet by Josh Schwerin, a Clinton campaign spokesman.
.@JoshSchwerin tweet running at #RNCinCLE. #unity. pic.twitter.com/ghGVgjKAtp
— daniel halper (@danielhalper) July 18, 2016