A GOP Strategist Explains How Donald Trump Knows Anti-Semites And White Nationalists Are “The Center Of His Play”

Rick Wilson: Trump's “Biggest Fanbase” Believes “Jews Control The World And ... White Nationalism Is The Future Of American Politics”

From the July 5 edition of MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes:

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CHRIS HAYES (HOST): What cracked me up about reading that was there is something just simple to do here, which is just block people with obvious abhorrent views, spreading obvious -- if you spend any time in the online world of Trumpism, you're just never more than one click away from it. It's really stunning thing to see up close. 

RICK WILSON (REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST): It really is, Chris. And the fact of the matter is, Donald Trump understands who these people are. I've come to believe that, as I said in the piece, it's not a bug, it's a feature. This is a guy who understands that the center of his play is this deeply resentful, edge case group of people who really believe that the Jews control the world and that this is -- and that white nationalism is the future of American politics. And they range in sophistication from, you know, the guys who are fairly clever race-baiters who try to stay out of the dirtier slums to the crazies in mom's basement screaming for hot pockets and a new Holocaust. But he tweets with all of these people. He engages with these folks. He re-tweets them. I mean, every single time the guy tweets something, the top four or five responses come from these bots and these neo-Nazi kids who are his biggest fan base. And the guy will not disavow them. He wouldn't disavow David Duke when he was confronted. He wouldn't disavow the Klan when he was confronted on it. This is a guy where racism is baked in the cake, and he's deeply disconnected from the majority of Americans' feelings on things, like having a new race war. 

Previously:

Bloomberg's John Heilemann: Trump “Should Be Denouncing” His Anti-Semitic Supporters After Star Of David Tweet

CNN's Lewandowski: Media Firestorm Over Trump's “Star Of David” Tweet Is “Egregious”

White Nationalist Leaders Praise Trump’s “Stunning” Anti-Semitic Tweet