NEW YORK ¨C Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump retweeted an account called ¡°@WhiteGenocideTM¡± on Friday, prompting a backlash on social media over the real estate billionaire¡¯s sharing of an apparent neo-Nazi¡¯s depiction of rival candidate Jeb Bush.
Trump, who is campaigning for the first contests on Feb. 1 in Iowa and Feb. 9 in New Hampshire, is known for attacking other candidates competing for the party¡¯s nomination to run for the White House in November¡¯s general election.
, who uses the handle ¡°@WhiteGenocideTM,¡± gives the location of the account as ¡°Jewmerica¡± and features an image that references George Lincoln Rockwell, a prominent figure in the neo-Nazi movement in the United States.
The tweet read, ¡°@realDonaldTrump Poor Jeb. I could¡¯ve sworn I saw him outside Trump Tower the other day!¡± and included a altered image of Bush holding a ¡°vote Trump¡± sign.
Tim Miller, communications director for Bush, tweeted in response on @Timodc: ¡°The Godwin¡¯s Double: Trump¡¯s anti-Jeb retweets now include one from a Nazi¡¯s account and another calling Jeb a Nazi.¡±
In November, Trump retweeted and then deleted a collage attacking former Florida Gov. Bush that featured a swastika.
Some on Twitter were appalled and perplexed by Friday¡¯s retweet by Trump. He has not sought the backing of white supremacist groups, but several such groups say his success has helped them win new supporters.
Kris Hammond (@KrisHammond), who identifies himself as a civil rights attorney on Twitter, said: ¡°#Trump retweets account with the words ¡°white genocide¡± in the handle. Plays to #whitenationalism base.¡±
Natalie Borden (@Natalie_Borden) tweeted, ¡°Guy, who likely will be a POTUS, retweeting a Twitter user named ¡°White Genocide¡± who says he lives in ¡°Jewmerica.¡± What a day...¡±
A week ago, a white supremacist group said it had placed thousands of automated phone calls in Iowa urging voters to support Trump¡¯s bid for the Republican nomination because ¡°we don¡¯t need Muslims.¡±
The telephone campaign is led by the American Freedom Party, which on its website says it ¡°shares the customs and heritage of the European American people.¡±
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