David Duke, the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, endorsed President Donald Trump yesterday on Twitter and even tweeted a suggestion about a new running mate for the U.S. president: Tucker Carlson. Why is David Duke still allowed to be on Twitter while other white supremacists are getting booted in droves? That’s a great question. And Twitter hasn’t provided an answer.
According to Duke, President Trump should demote vice president Mike Pence and pick the notoriously racist Fox News host Tucker Carlson for veep. Duke would also like to see Trump make Pence the new Secretary of State, nudging out the current man in that role, Mike Pompeo.
“President Trump! You have one last chance to turn the tables, win this election and save America — and yourself!” Duke tweeted on Thursday. “Nominate Tucker Carlson for Vice President. This would energize your campaign beyond belief. You can replace Zio NeoCon warmonger Pompeo with Pence as Sec. of State!”
Several high-profile racists have been permanently kicked off Twitter lately, including Stefan Molyneux, a sad and angry man who was recently banned from Twitter and YouTube. And while Duke was recently banned from YouTube, he’s still allowed to spread his message of hate on Twitter. The San Francisco-based social media company did not respond to a question about Duke’s Twitter account on Friday morning.
After the initial shock that Duke is still allowed to be on a platform that’s pledged to purge white supremacist hatred, you’ll probably have another pertinent question: What the hell is a “Zio NeoCon warmonger”? Sadly, we have the answer to that as well.
“Zio” is short for “Zionist” and is recognised as an anti-semitic slur. White supremacists, Klansmen, and neo-Nazis all have various shorthand for racial and ethnic groups that are used in an effort to circumvent rules against transparent hate speech on platforms like Twitter. Other Nazi language workarounds often include homonyms or strange spellings, such as “jooz” and “juice” to refer to “Jews.”
When Duke endorsed Trump back in 2016, the then-candidate blamed a “bad earpierce” from CNN when he initially didn’t disavow the former KKK Grand Wizard’s endorsement. Trump insisted later than he had already disavowed Duke’s endorsement at an earlier press conference, but wouldn’t repeat his disavowal when asked about the issue on the Today show.
Duke, echoing calls on the far right that Tucker Carlson run for president, believes if presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wins in November, people like Carlson will be banned from TV anyway.
“Tucker Carlson now! We DON’T HAVE 4 YEARS. In 4 years there will be no dissident websites, platforms or email addresses, no dissidents allowed credit cards or bank accounts. No Freedom and Tucker will be off air before Biden is even sworn in. Tucker NOW! 4 Years is TOO LATE!” Duke tweeted on Thursday.
Duke continued his rant on Thursday, again saying that the internet was “Zio-controlled” an old anti-semitic trope about Jewish people controlling the world — from banking to media.
“Tucker would be forced off air before Biden was even sworn in,” Duke tweeted. “But so will every other dissident voice in America and all over the world in the Zio-controlled Internet establishment! This is an existential threat!”
Tucker Carlson has long been recognised as an overtly racist arsehole, gaining praise from white supremacists like Andrew Anglin of the neo-Nazi message board the Daily Stormer. Anglin called Carlson’s TV program “basically ‘Daily Stormer: The Show” back in 2018 and referred to Calrons as “literally our greatest ally,” according to BuzzFeed News.
Carlson has continued his barrage of thinly veiled racist attacks this week, taking aim at Democratic politicians like Ilhan Omar and Tammy Duckworth, both women of colour. Duckworth is a Purple Heart recipient who lost both of her legs during the Iraq War, yet Carlson questioned her patriotism, calling her a “moron” and a “fraud.” Carlson has previously called white supremacy is a “hoax.”
jesus christ pic.twitter.com/E1sEKWNxf0
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) July 8, 2020
Carlson’s show is filled with plenty of white supremacist Easter Eggs — things that have an air of plausible deniability and yet are pretty clear messages to those on the far right. The latest one? A chyron on Carlson’s Wednesday night show that read, “We have to fight to preserve our nation & heritage.”
The words sound innocuous enough to people who aren’t versed in neo-Nazi speak. But Carlson’s far right audience will recognise it as nearly identical to the so-called 14 words: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.”
Plenty of Trump supporters will say that Carlson isn’t a racist and ridicule anyone who recognises the dog whistles for what they are. But it doesn’t get much more clear than an endorsement from a former leader of the KKK. When David Duke is not only on your side, but hoping to see you become vice president, you might be a fucking racist.