House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday turned the latest prime Republican to condemn Donald Trump’s dinner with white supremacist Nick Fuentes — whereas declining to condemn the previous president himself.
Making his first feedback on Trump’s dinner with Fuentes and the rapper Ye, each of whom have publicly engaged in antisemitism, McCarthy falsely asserted that the previous president had already condemned Fuentes. Trump has mentioned a number of occasions that he did not know who Fuentes was when the white nationalist attended dinner with him as a visitor of Ye, previously referred to as Kanye West.
“I don’t think anybody should have a meeting with Nick Fuentes, and his views are nowhere within the Republican Party or within this country itself,” McCarthy mentioned following a gathering on the White House with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders. The California Republican added that “I don’t think [Trump] should have associated with [Ye] as well.”
McCarthy’s feedback echo these of most other congressional Republicans, who’ve criticized Trump’s actions but shunned criticizing the previous president himself. Trump’s former vice chairman, Mike Pence, departed from that norm on Monday by asking Trump to apologize for associating with Fuentes. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is anticipated to handle the matter afterward Tuesday.