Trump dines with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye after announcing presidential bid

Former President Donald Trump dined this past week with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye — formally known as Kanye West — at his Mar-a-Lago resort, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

The meal comes just one week after the former president officially launched his third bid for the presidency, and featured Trump conversing with two of the most controversial figures in today's media. Fuentes, a self-proclaimed Holocaust denier described by The New York Times as "one of the country's most prominent young white supremacists," is an outspoken supporter of the former president. Ye, meanwhile, has received condemnation for his antisemitic statements, and has lost a number of endorsements as a result of his comments.

Following news of the meeting, a source told CNN that Fuentes had arrived as a guest of Ye's, and that Trump had not invited him. It remains unclear how much Trump knew of Fuentes prior to the meal, however, sources also told Axios that the former president "seemed very taken" with Fuentes, describing "a lot of fawning back and forth."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that he did not know Fuentes prior to the meeting, stating, "This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago. Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about. We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio."

Trump reiterated on Friday that he "didn't know" Fuentes.