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Former president Donald Trump said he “knew nothing” about white supremacist Nick Fuentes before he and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, dined together at Mar-a-Lago.
The former president made a statement on his networking platform Truth Social after Axios reported that Mr Fuentes and Ye dined with Mr Trump at his Palm Beach, Florida estate.
“This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago,” he said. “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. The dinner was quick and uneventful. They then left for the airport.”
Mr Fuentes is a noted white supremacist, antisemite and Holocaust denier. In addition, Ye lost business partnerships with Balenciaga and Adidas after he made a series of antisemitic comments.
The meeting comes after Mr Trump announced his intent to seek the White House once again in 2024, but also when many Republicans find themselves exhausted with him.