With His Visit to Saudi, Trump Attracts the Ire of Alt-Right

Prominent alt-right personality Alex Jones called Saudi Arabia a sponsor of terrorism. 
Kabir Upmanyu
World
Published:
US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia. (Photo: AP)
US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia. (Photo: AP)
ADVERTISEMENT

US President Donald Trump, who is on a visit to Saudi Arabia, delivered a speech on Sunday that was widely anticipated for what he would say on ‘terrorism’ and its connection with Islam.

Naturally, the speech elicited a slew of responses, with Trump's statement on Islam as ‘one of world's great faiths’, being the most talked about.

However, some on the American alt-right seem to be especially peeved with Trump’s Saudi Arabia visit, widening the rift that was created when the President ordered air strikes on Syria.

Alex Jones, a ‘conspiracy theorist’ of the far-right Infowars, took to Twitter to express his discontent:

Other alt-right personalities too voiced their criticism:

An alt-right website called ZeroHedge posted an article, a day before Trump’s Sunday speech, expressing disapproval of any arms deal between the US and Saudi Arabia.

The report says this would only strengthen the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against Yemen, which could worsen the humanitarian crisis in the latter country.

Earlier, when Trump announced a strike against Syria in the aftermath of the chemical weapons attack, prominent alt-right personalities, including Richard Spencer (who came up with the term ‘alt-right’) and Paul Joseph Watson of Infowars, showed their discontent.

These were the personalities who rallied in favour of Trump during his Presidential campaign, supporting his non-interventionist stance as far as conflict in the Middle-East is concerned.

But with the Syrian strikes, which they saw as a ‘betrayal’ of Trump’s stance, they were up in arms against the President, who now enjoys the lowest approval ratings.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

According to The New York Times, Spencer, in fact, indicated that Trump would not be his candidate choice in the next Presidential elections.

Mike Cernovich, a far-right writer, too called out to Trump, claiming how the President’s supporters don’t favour intervention in the Syrian war:

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Published: undefined

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL FOR NEXT