Jonathan Swan hits Trump for dining with Ye, Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago: 'Two is worse than one'
Dan Hoffman, Olivia Beavers, Jonathan Swan and Juan Williams dissect a looming rail strike, controversy surrounding Donald Trump dining with White nationalist Nick Fuentes and the Dec. 6 runoff between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker.
Former President Trump is privately fuming at Kanye West, accusing the rapper now known as Ye of betraying and ambushing him by inviting Nick Fuentes to their private dinner, according to a new report.
"He tried to f--- me. He’s crazy. He can’t beat me," Trump said, according to a source who spoke to NBC News.
The source added that Trump was "totally blindsided" by Fuentes’ presence at Mar-a-Lago last week, calling it a "set-up." Fuentes is a far-right figure who has espoused anti-Semitic, White nationalist and other extremist views.
MIKE PENCE SAYS TRUMP MUST APOLOGIZE FOR DINNER WITH WHITE SUPREMACIST NICK FUENTES
According to the report, Trump went on what he assumed was a private dinner with Ye after weeks of phone conversations between the former president and world-famous music artist.
Trump has claimed that he did not know about Fuentes or his background when they sat down for dinner. Fuentes himself has also confirmed that the former president did not appear to know anything about him.
In conversations with NBC News, Fuentes saw everybody get up and start applauding as Trump entered the dining hall. He then invited Ye to sit with him, and the rapper said that he wanted to bring Fuentes and two other guests to the table. Trump obliged, and the group sat at a reserved table on the patio.
But the conversation quickly turned ugly when Ye slammed Trump for not doing enough to help pay the legal expenses of people arrested during the Jan. 6 riot last year. Ye also urged Trump to be his running mate and reaffirmed his interest in running for president, angering Trump, who allegedly made a comment about Ye’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.
According to the report, Trump’s campaign is now instating new vetting procedures as critics question how he and Fuentes found themselves sitting at the same dinner table.
Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign last week, marking his third official bid for the White House. A longtime advisor to the former president agreed that the dinner was a set-up but did not want to go on the record and criticize him.
"The master troll got trolled," the adviser told NBC News. "Kanye punked Trump."
Two other sources allegedly cautioned Trump against having dinner with Ye after the rapper made several anti-Semitic comments, but the president refused.
Republicans have by and large steered away from directly criticizing Trump's dinner with Fuentes, but several party members have spoken out about it.
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"I am appalled," Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told reporters on Sunday.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., tweeted that Trump "hosting racist antisemites for dinner encourages other racist antisemites."
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