Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks at pro-Trump, white nationalist conference

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Marjorie Taylor Greene AFPAC America First Political Action Conference Nick Fuentes

Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks at a pro-Trump, white nationalist conference (AFPAC)

Trumpist Marjorie Taylor Greene was the “surprise guest” at a white nationalist conference hosted by the pro-Trump America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) in Orlando, FL this past Friday evening prior to her making an appearance at the pro-Trump Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Saturday morning — now known as TPAC for its embrace of Trump and his nationalist takeover of the Republican Party.

AFPAC was organized by Nick Fuentes, a leading alt-right figure who, among other things, has questioned the existence of the Holocaust and has celebrated Jim Crow-era segregation (via Business Insider):

The Anti-Defamation League has labeled Fuentes a “well-known white supremacist pundit and organizer.”

“AFPAC demonstrates the increasing acceptance of extreme views by those who once identified with the conservative movement,” the ADL wrote in a post previewing the event, which is billed as an alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Fuentes has repeatedly espoused views that have been explicitly called out as antisemitic or racist. For example, Fuentes called The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh a “race traitor” and used a slur against Jewish people after Walsh condemned the El Paso gunman who killed 23 people, according to Vox. The gunman said he specifically targeted Latinos in his attack, authorities said.

In one instance, Fuentes wrote in a tweet: “The next big frontier for populist and conservative inc to coopt [sic] is discussing Jewish Power. Somehow I don’t think they’ll broach that one!”

Portraying Jewish people as some secret power operating behind the scenes is a long-held anti-Semitic trope. Fuentes has also pushed the “Great Replacement Theory,” a racist conspiracy theory that people of color are trying to replace white populations. (emphasis mine)

Prior to introducing Marjorie Taylor Greene to those in attendance, Fuentes joined the army of Trumpists and faux conservatives within the Republican Party to cheer Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine. After all, what anti-Semitic white nationalist can pass up an attack against a Jewish leader such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky?

“She is a standard-bearer of Trumpism in the US Congress. She is pro-life. She is proudly America First,” Fuentes said in a video circulating on social media shows. “We are honored, we are humbled and excited to welcome to the stage right now for our first speech … the representative from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene.” (emphasis mine)

Other Trumpist Republicans making an appearance at AFPAC via pre-recorded video were Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (a speaker from last year’s conference), Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers (she thinks sanctions against Russia are equal to invading Ukraine), and Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (Trump has endorsed her for governor due to being a “strong supporter of MAGA“).

This year’s America First Political Action Conference was made possible, in part, due to the financial backing of Andrew Torba, the founder of Gab.com. As one of the new homes for Trumpists looking for ways to spread white nationalist and antisemitic propaganda, Torba proclaimed that Gab’s support of AFPAC was the right thing to do because it was the “Christian” thing to do:

America First Political Action Conference AFPAC

Gab.com supports white nationalist organization, calling it Christian

Prior to taking the stage at CPAC TPAC, Marjorie Taylor Greene denounced her appearance at AFPAC, claiming that she didn’t know anything about Nick Fuentes’ white nationalist beliefs:

“I’m also not going to turn down the opportunity to speak to 1,200 young America First patriots because of a few off-color remarks by another speaker, even if I find those remarks unsavory. I want to embrace the young, boisterous and energetic conservatives in our movement — not cancel them like the establishment does,” Greene told The New York Post.

Despite her bloviating politispeak to the contrary, Marjorie Taylor Greene has a history of support for the racist and xenophobic views held by Nick Fuentes and AFPAC, a fact pointed out during her run for office in 2020 (via Jewish Insider):

“Ms. Greene has a history of propagating anti-Semitic disinformation,” Allison Padilla-Goodman, Southern division vice president of the Anti-Defamation League, told Jewish Insider.

“ADL previously called on Ms. Greene to disavow her relationship with a prominent white supremacist leader and retract past anti-Semitic statements. ADL said that ‘failure to do so is a moral failure and unbecoming of someone seeking elected office.’ Ms. Greene’s continued insistence on propagating such anti-Semitism shows she has decided to double down on hate, which, to say the least, is deeply problematic.” (emphasis mine)

Considering her history and her status as a leading Trumpist in Congress, Greene’s appearance at Nick Fuentes’ AFPAC is exactly what you’d expect from her because Trump’s “America First” nationalism is rooted in racism and xenophobia.

When the National Conservatism Conference held its first conference in Washington, D.C. in 2019, the overarching theme of the get-together was that conservatism as traditionally understood had outlived its usefulness economically and culturally. And while the conference failed to provide a definition for “national conservatism,” a panel discussion on immigration held at the event managed to provide some clarification.

During the panel discussion, University of Pennsylvania professor Amy Wax advocated that America would be better off with fewer “non-whites” from “less-advanced countries.” When concerns were raised about her comments, she was defended by Yoram Hazony, author of The Virtue of Nationalism and organizer of the National Conservatism Conference, who claimed that she had been taken out of context.

However, a broader look at Wax’s comments makes her message crystal clear.

The destruction of conservatism within the Republican Party has been a work-in-progress ever since Ronald Reagan handed the reins over to George H.W. Bush, but the stark reality of its destruction has come sharply into focus in the Age of Trump, where being a white nationalist like Marjorie Taylor Greene is now considered a “conservative” value — even patriotic.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Donald Trump white nationalist

 

David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative. He holds people of every political stripe accountable for their failure to uphold conservative values, and he promotes those values instead of political parties.

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