Nick Fuentes

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Nick Fuentes
Born
Nicholas Joseph Fuentes

(1998-08-18) August 18, 1998 (age 25)
Illinois, U.S.[1]
EducationLyons Township High School
Occupations
  • Podcaster
  • political commentator
  • activist
Years active2015–present
Known forFormer YouTuber
Groypers
Political partyRepublican
MovementFar-right politics
Paleoconservatism
WebsiteOfficial website

Nicholas Joseph Fuentes (born August 18, 1998[2][3]) is an American white nationalist,[4] far-right[5] political commentator and podcaster. A former YouTuber, his channel was permanently suspended in February 2020 for violating YouTube's hate speech policy.[6] He describes himself as an American nationalist and paleoconservative[7][8][9] and has expressed antisemitic views.[10]

Fuentes has feuded with Turning Point USA and its founder, Charlie Kirk, for supporting views that Fuentes believes to be insufficiently conservative.[11] On October 29, 2019, his followers, known as Groypers, began heckling Turning Point's Culture War Tour, including a speaking event for Donald Trump Jr.[12]

He was a prominent attendee of and speaker at protests and rallies during the 2020 election protests leading up to the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.[13]

Personal life

Fuentes attended Lyons Township High School, in Western Springs, Illinois, where he was president of the student council.[14] In August 2017, he left Boston University after attending the white supremacist[15] Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.[16] He applied for transfer admission to Auburn University in fall 2017, but he did not confirm his enrollment on time.[17] Fuentes is a Traditional Catholic and of Hispanic descent.[18][19]

Career

Fuentes began commentating on politics through a local radio and TV station hosted by his high school.[20] He currently hosts the podcast America First with Nicholas J. Fuentes, which he began in 2017.[21][12][22]

On his show in April 2017, Fuentes said "Who runs the media? Globalists. Time to kill the globalists" and "I want the people that run CNN to be arrested and deported because this is deliberate." Fuentes also said that "The First Amendment was not written for the Saudi Royal Family". The publisher of the show at the time, RSBN, issued an apology, calling the comments "unacceptable" and "inappropriate".[23] Following these and other comments, as well as publicity over his attendance of the Unite the Right rally, he left RSBN in August 2017.[17][24]

He co-hosted the Nationalist Review podcast with James Allsup until January 2018. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, "the two had a public falling out with each host accusing the other of laziness, impropriety and a variety of petty slights."[25]

In January 2020, Fuentes' YouTube channel was demonetized and one of his videos was removed by YouTube as a violation of their hate speech policies. Fuentes had previously been banned from Twitch and from Reddit.[26][27] On February 14, 2020, his YouTube channel was terminated for violating policies on hate speech.[6] In January 2020, Time magazine reported that Fuentes was the most-viewed live-streamer on the DLive platform. DLive has been criticized for allowing Fuentes to use their platform.[28][29]

Fuentes has received support from conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, who agreed to speak at his first annual America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) in February 2020, and again at his second conference in February 2021.[18][30][31] As a result of supporting him, in November 2019 Malkin was promptly fired by the Young America's Foundation where she had been employed for 28 years.[32][33][2]

Fuentes was among the far-right individuals and groups who participated in the rallies that led up to 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.[13][34] His DLive channel was subsequently suspended permanently for "inciting violent and illegal activities."[35][36] He was also among a group of far-right activists and groups who received large donations in bitcoin from a French donor on December 8. Fuentes received 13.5 bitcoin (approximately $250,000), which was by far the largest share. The donor also posted an apparent suicide note, according to Blockchain analysis group Chainalysis, although the donor's status has not been confirmed.[37][38][39][40] The FBI is launching an investigation as to whether any of this money went toward the financing of illegal acts, such as the storming of the US Capitol.[41]

On February 26, 2021, Fuentes hosted his second annual AFPAC event, speaking alongside Michelle Malkin, former Iowa Representative Steve King, and current Arizona Representative Paul Gosar.[31] Gosar in particular was subsequently criticized for his attendance. While appearing to distance himself from some of the more extreme rhetoric at the event, Gosar defended his presence at the conference, saying, "There is a group of young people that are becoming part of the election process, and becoming a bigger force. So why not take that energy and listen to what they’ve got to say? ... You don’t accomplish anything by isolating and refusing to speak to some audiences."[42]

Views

Fuentes strongly opposes immigration, which he believes is a demographic threat to the United States.[21] He has spoken out against the "LGBT agenda",[43] and describes transgender people and same-sex marriage as "deviancy".[18] He spoke positively of "a tidal wave of white identity" following his attendance of the Unite the Right rally in August 2017.[44][16]

In January 2019, Fuentes aired a monologue in which he compared the Holocaust to a cookie-baking operation, which led to accusations of Holocaust denial. Fuentes later disputed that he had ever denied the Holocaust, calling his monologue a "lampoon".[18]

Fuentes has repeatedly criticized Turning Point USA and its founder Charlie Kirk, accusing them of betraying Donald Trump by advocating in favor of mass legal immigration, support in foreign aid for Israel and LGBT issues.[45] Throughout October and November 2019, his supporters were present at many of Kirk's public speaking events, which featured guest speakers including Donald Trump Jr., Lara Trump, and Kimberly Guilfoyle.[45] These campaigns frequently involved asking questions that prompt viewers to look up far-right and anti-semitic conspiracy theories and hoaxes online.[46] Fuentes has characterized the campaign as a grassroots effort to expose TPUSA as ideologically inconsistent with the ideology espoused by Donald Trump and other conservative populists. As a result of this campaign, some right-wing mainstream politicians and pundits disavowed Fuentes, characterizing his beliefs as extreme and out-of-touch with mainstream conservatism.[47][48][49]

In December 2019, Fuentes confronted conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro, who was with his family at the time, outside a TPUSA event in West Palm Beach, Florida. Fuentes had confronted Shapiro to ask why he had given a speech at Stanford University bashing Fuentes.[18] The encounter was filmed and led to criticism of Fuentes.[50]

At a pro-Trump protest in Washington, D.C. in December 2020, Fuentes led a crowd to chant "Destroy the GOP", and encouraged them to sit-out the United States Senate special runoff election in Georgia.[51][52] In February 2021, a video of Fuentes' speech was played during the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump by House delegate Stacey Plaskett.[53]

On January 4, 2021, two days before the storming of the U.S. Capitol, Fuentes discussed killing state legislators who were unwilling to overturn the results of the 2020 election, saying "What can you and I do to a state legislator — besides kill him? We should not do that. I'm not advising that, but I mean, what else can you do, right?"[54][36][55][34]

On January 6, 2021, prior to the storming of the U.S. Capitol, Fuentes spoke to a crowd of supporters, stating, "It is us and our ancestors that created everything good that you see in this country. All these people that have taken over our country—we do not need them... It is the American people, and our leader, Donald Trump, against everybody else in this country and this world... Our Founding Fathers would get in the streets, and they would take this country back by force if necessary. And that is what we must be prepared to do."[56]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Arnett, Dugan (March 22, 2017). "The kids are far right". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020. Nicholas Fuentes, a Boston University freshman from Illinois
  2. ^ a b Mali, Meghashyam (November 18, 2019). "Conservative group cuts ties with Michelle Malkin". TheHill. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  3. ^ Fuentes, Nicholas J. (August 18, 2020). "Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes!". Twitter. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  4. ^ Multiple sources:
  5. ^ Multiple sources:
  6. ^ a b Thalen, Mikael (February 14, 2020). "YouTube deplatforms white nationalist Nick Fuentes". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Kidder, Jeffrey L.; Binder, Amy J. "Analysis | In the Trump era, campus conservative groups are fighting one another". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020. Over the past several months, however, Turning Point and YAF have been attacked for failing to espouse the more extreme "America First" populism advocated by figures like conservative columnist Michelle Malkin and conservative podcaster Nick Fuentes.
  8. ^ Holt, Jared (May 8, 2018). "Nick Fuentes Denies Being A White Nationalist By Explaining That He's A White Nationalist". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  9. ^ Newman, Kalina. "Citing threats, student withdraws from BU after attending Charlottesville rally". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  10. ^ Multiple sources:
  11. ^ "How the groypers gave the 'debate guys' a rough time". Spectator USA. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Gumbel, Andrew (November 11, 2019). "Donald Trump Jr walks out of Triggered book launch after heckling – from supporters". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Barrett, Malachi (January 7, 2021). "Far-right activist who encouraged U.S. Capitol occupation also organized 'stop the steal' rally in Michigan". MLive. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  14. ^ Mannion, Annemarie. "Area teen rallied in Charlottesville, got death threats, now planning move to 'solidly red' Alabama". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Haag, Matthew (June 21, 2018). "'White Civil Rights Rally' Planned Near White House by Charlottesville Organizer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Toussaint, Kristin (August 16, 2017). "Right-wing BU teen won't return to Boston after attending Charlottesville rally". www.metro.us. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Johnson, Roy S. (August 30, 2017). "Alt-right's Fuentes no longer with Right Side Broadcasting". Al.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d e Nick, Anderson. "Far-right agitators roil the conservative movement on college campuses in battle to define Trumpism". The Washington Post. No. November 16, 2019. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  19. ^ Cortellessa, Eric; Sheffield, Matthew (November 22, 2019). "The Conservative Establishment's Nightmare Is Only Just Beginning". Washington Monthly - Politics. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2020. Fuentes, who identifies as a traditional Catholic and is partially of Hispanic descent...
  20. ^ "LTHS Grad Pushes White Nationalism, Gains National Spotlight". La Grange, IL Patch. September 15, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Green, Dominic. "The groypers are American fascists". The Spectator. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  22. ^ "The Groyper Rebellion". Chronicles. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  23. ^ "Right Side Broadcasting, The "Unofficial Version Of Trump TV," Forced To Apologize For Contributor's Call To "Kill The Globalists" At CNN". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  24. ^ Hananoki, Eric (August 22, 2017). "Right Side Broadcasting and Nicholas Fuentes, host who participated in white supremacist rally, part ways". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  25. ^ "James Orien Allsup". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  26. ^ Thalen, Mikael (January 10, 2020). "It looks like white nationalist Nick Fuentes just had his YouTube channel demonetized". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  27. ^ Petrizzo, Zachary (November 8, 2019). "White nationalist Nick Fuentes tossed off Reddit". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  28. ^ "What is DLive? It's White Nationalists Favorite Streaming Platform". The Daily Dot. January 1, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  29. ^ "How Far-Right Personalities And Conspiracy Theorists Are Cashing In On The Pandemic Online". Time. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  30. ^ "Young America's Foundation Excommunicates Michelle Malkin for Defending Nick Fuentes". Reason.com. November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  31. ^ a b Steakin, Will (February 28, 2021). "GOP congressman headlines conference where organizers push white nationalist rhetoric". ABC News. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  32. ^ Sommer, Will (November 18, 2019). "Conservative Group Fires Michelle Malkin Over Support for Holocaust Denier". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  33. ^ "Young America's Foundation Excommunicates Michelle Malkin for Defending Nick Fuentes". Reason.com. November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  34. ^ a b "White supremacists among those who stormed the U.S. Capitol, live streamed from inside". Haaretz. Associated Press. January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  35. ^ "Nick Fuentes, 'Baked Alaska' banned from DLive following Capitol riots". The Daily Dot. January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  36. ^ a b Thompson, A. C.; Fischer, Ford (January 9, 2021). "Members of Several Well-Known Hate Groups Identified at Capitol Riot". ProPublica. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  37. ^ "$500K in Bitcoin sent from France to US far-right groups". AP NEWS. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  38. ^ Greene, Leonard (January 15, 2021). "Foreign Bitcoin trader may have helped finance Capitol Hill rioters: researchers". nydailynews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  39. ^ "Far-right groups received large Bitcoin payment ahead of U.S. Capitol riot: report". Global News. Reuters. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  40. ^ McLaughlin, Jenna (January 14, 2021). "Exclusive: Large bitcoin payments to right-wing activists a month before Capitol riot linked to foreign account". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  41. ^ Dilanian, Ken (January 16, 2021). "FBI probing if foreign interests paid extremists tied to Capitol riot". NBC News. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  42. ^ Weigel, David (February 27, 2021). "Rep. Gosar criticizes 'white racism' after speaking at event whose organizer called for white supremacy". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 28, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  43. ^ "Don Jr. storms out over far-right hecklers at event for his book about liberals "silencing" speech". Salon. November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  44. ^ Sommer, Will (December 11, 2019). "Racist 'Groypers' Step up Attacks on Campus Conservative Groups". Daily Beast. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  45. ^ a b Coaston, Jane (November 11, 2019). "Why alt-right trolls shouted down Donald Trump Jr". Vox. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  46. ^ Breland, Ali (November 21, 2019). "How Twitter and YouTube are helping a white nationalist build a community fueled by hate". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  47. ^ November 8, John SextonPosted at 4:43 pm on; 2019 (November 8, 2019). "Ben Shapiro bashes the alt-right- gets protested by the far-left". HotAir. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ http://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "No- Nick Fuentes and his 'Groypers' are not conservatives". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2020. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  49. ^ Petrizzo, Zachary (November 5, 2019). "Charlie Kirk has finally had it with these white nationalists in his movement". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  50. ^ Petrizzo, Zachary (December 21, 2019). "Nick Fuentes Trying to Bicker with Ben Shapiro Riles Up the Internet (updated)." Archived May 22, 2020, at the Wayback Machine The Daily Dot. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  51. ^ Wade, Peter (December 12, 2020). "MAGA Protesters Chant 'Destroy the GOP' at Pro-Trump Rally". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  52. ^ Politi, Daniel (December 12, 2020). "Pro-Trump Protesters Chant "Destroy the GOP," Boo Georgia Senate Candidates at Rally". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  53. ^ Goldberg, Michelle (February 11, 2021). "Impeachment Offers Republicans Grace. They Don't Want It". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  54. ^ Barrett, Malachi (January 7, 2021). "Far-right activist who encouraged U.S. Capitol occupation also organized 'stop the steal' rally in Michigan". mlive. Advance Publications. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  55. ^ Petrizzo, Zachary (January 5, 2021). "White nationalist Zoomer Nick Fuentes floats the idea of killing legislators who certified Biden's win". The Daily Dot. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  56. ^ Mogelson, Luke (January 15, 2021). "Among the Insurrectionists". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 30, 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nick_Fuentes&oldid=1010469743"