Amid rise in public antisemitism, White House affirms 'the Holocaust happened'
President Biden on Friday issued a stark warning amid a wave of public antisemitism and bigotry online, and from high-profile figures like Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.
"I just want to make a few things clear," the president tweeted the day after Ye and white nationalist figure Nick Fuentes appeared on right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' InfoWars talk show to espouse a litany of antisemitic propaganda.
"The Holocaust happened," Biden continued. "Hitler was a demonic figure."
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden's message — the sentiment of which was echoed shortly thereafter in tweets by Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Amb. Deborah Lipstad — did not acknowledge Ye or Fuentes by name. However, it arrived shortly after the pair reportedly dined with former President Donald Trump, who is running for office in 2024 — a meeting that prompted delayed and somewhat muted condemnation from within the GOP. It also came amid a resurgence in reactivated Twitter accounts for previously banned or suspended figures, including neo-Nazi leader Andrew Anglin, and white nationalist figures Patrick Casey and Richard Spencer.
Biden's message, which concluded with the reminder that "silence is complicity," did not include any further details on what actions the White House would or wouldn't take on the issue.
