Trump Defends Appointment of Stephen Bannon as His Chief Advisor

The elected President of the United States condemned a ceremony where some members of the far-right 'Alt-Right' group shouted 'Heil Trump' and gave Nazi salutes. At the same time, he defended his chief advisor, Stephen Bannon, who is said to have provided media space for the white nationalist movement known as 'Alt-Right.' Last week, 'The Atlantic' published a video showing attendees at a far-right extremist event giving Nazi salutes to Trump. The main speaker at the event, Richard Spencer, who is the head of this group (National Policy Institute), made laudatory remarks about Donald Trump. The 'Southern Poverty Law Center,' a large non-governmental and civil rights organization that combats racism, considers the 'National Policy Institute' to be an organization that believes 'white identity is under attack by multicultural forces.' According to the 'Southern Poverty Law Center,' this 'institute' is a 'white nationalist' group that spreads 'hate.' The release of the video showing these individuals giving Hitlerian salutes to Trump prompted a reaction from the elected President. Donald Trump, on December 2, in an interview with The New York Times, condemned them: 'I disavow and condemn them.' He also emphasized that he does not intend to give these individuals a platform: 'If they (have gained prominence with my election victory), I will look into this to understand why this has happened.' The elected President's campaign also stated a day earlier that Trump will continue to 'condemn racism in all its forms and that he won the election to be the leader of all Americans. Any other interpretation regarding a movement (for Trump's election) that includes Americans of all backgrounds is completely inaccurate.' Stephen Bannon previously managed the Breitbart News website. He was also the last leader of Trump's election campaign. On the other hand, the elected President defended his chief advisor, Stephen Bannon. Mr. Bannon was once the director of the 'Breitbart' website. This website is one of the well-known media outlets that is said to have provided a platform for the white nationalist movement known as 'Alt-Right.' Mr. Bannon himself responded to this issue by stating that 'Alt-Right' was only a part of the total content presented on Breitbart. He also denied other accusations regarding anti-Semitic beliefs. Mr. Trump stated that if he believed Stephen Bannon was a racist or a member of Alt-Right, 'he wouldn't even think of hiring him.' The elected President mentioned that Mr. Bannon is going through a hard time due to these accusations, and many are now defending him. On Tuesday, Breitbart's front page accused Trump of 'backtracking on his promises' for not pursuing the 'case' against Hillary Clinton.