Further fueling concerns about what the incoming Trump administration will mean for immigrants and people of color, watchdog groups on Monday highlighted various essays by Michael Anton, who is set to take on a key role at the U.S. State Department.
President-elect Donald Trump announced earlier this month that Anton would become director of policy planning at the State Department. President Trump said he “served me faithfully and effectively” as National Security Council spokesperson during the Republican’s first term, adding, “The past eight years have been a great example of what America First foreign policy truly means. I spent a lot of time explaining what it meant.”
In a Monday publication first reported by USA Today, watchdog Accountable.US detailed “the history of Anton’s support for white people.”
He holds nationalist and Islamophobic views and has written numerous conspiracy-filled articles about the Democratic Party’s attempted “coup” and widespread voter fraud. ”
The group said the approximately 6,000-word publication Mr. Anton published under the Latin pen name “Publius Decius Mus” on March 10, 2016, eight months before Mr. Trump was elected to his first term. His essay “Towards a Smart and Consistent Trumpism” was featured in Antz Review. Anton’s use of the pseudonym was first revealed in early 2017 by the now-defunct neocon magazine The Weekly Standard.
In a 2016 essay, Anton wrote, “Trump’s two slogans, ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘Take Our Country Back,’ are at the heart of Trumpism: ‘America First’ and ‘The Constitution and what it stands for. “It shows a ‘social compact’.” It is for us, the American people, and not for foreigners, immigrants (except those we choose to welcome), or anyone else. ”
Anton praised President Trump’s “willingness, enthusiasm, and hilarity to ridicule the ridiculous lies that have been relentlessly forced upon us for (at least) the last 15 years!”, writing in part:
“Diversity” is not “our strength.” It is a source of weakness, tension, and discord. America is not a “nation of immigrants.” We are originally a nation of settlers, who later chose to accept immigrants, and then still do not, opening and closing our doors legitimately at our own discretion, without respecting forced piety. You can. Immigration today is not “good for the economy.” It lowers American wages, takes American jobs, and lowers American standards of living. Islam is not a “religion of peace”. It is a militant faith that celebrates conversion by the sword, inspires thousands to commit acts of terrorism, and motivates millions more to support and sympathize with terrorism.
As Common Dreams reported, since President Trump won the White House last month, numerous analyzes have shown that the mass deportations promised by Republicans will not only have a devastating impact on the population, but also on the economy. They warned that it would be catastrophic.
Anton’s essay repeatedly references the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In March 2016, he then suggested it would be “insane” to allow Muslim immigration, writing: If they really needed more labor, which is clearly a false claim, why did they need to import it from the Islamic world? ”
“Is a region or faith at best ambiguous and at worst murderously hostile to the society that welcomes them? This question has hitherto been completely out of scope, and it is difficult to raise it. It’s even illegal,” he continued. “Immigration to the United States, Muslim or otherwise, is presented as a civil right to foreigners. The burden is on Americans to prove whether Muhammad is a terrorist or Jose is a criminal. And if we can’t, we have to prove it.” Trump was the only major politician to stand up and say this is nonsense. ”
Another infamous essay pointed out by Accountable.US quotes 9/11. Using the same pen name, Anton wrote “Flight 93 Election,” published by Claremont Review of Books on September 5, 2016, in which the plane crashed in Pennsylvania after a struggle with the hijackers.
“2016 is the Flight 93 election. If you don’t hit the cockpit, you die,” Anton argued, taking aim at President Trump’s Democratic challenger that year. “If you don’t try, death is certain. To complicate the metaphor further, Hillary Clinton’s presidency is like a semi-automatic Russian roulette. Trump would at least spin the cylinders and take his chances. I can.”
Accountable.US also reported that Anton accused Democrats of plotting a coup, spread conspiracy theories of voter fraud, and in one of them downplayed the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2020. He also pointed out two essays in 2021. Both of these publications appeared under Anton’s real name.
After the first Trump administration, Anton continued to work as a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and as a lecturer and researcher at Hillsdale College. Previously, he served as a speechwriter for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch.
Mr. Anton did not respond to USA Today’s request for comment, but Trump transition press secretary Dan Holler has framed Mr. Anton as a resource for Mr. Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Sen. Anton Johnson. . Marco Rubio (R-Florida), the son of Cuban immigrants, said in a statement to the newspaper.
“President Trump and Senator Rubio are building an all-star team to deliver on the America First policies our nation demands,” Holler said. “As director of policy planning, Michael Anton will play a critical role in implementing America First foreign policy.”
Meanwhile, Tony Kirk, executive director of Accountable.US, released a statement Monday putting pressure on Rubio. Rubio typically selects a nominee for the post, which does not require Senate confirmation, according to USA Today.
“Michael Anton has hidden behind a false name to spread hate and ridicule diversity as a source of America’s weakness. But if appointed to the top post at the State Department, he will undoubtedly harbor a hidden extremism. Deaf,” Kirk said. “Anton’s comments against people he deems culturally undesirable may be music to the ears of President-elect Trump, the father of the caged child policy who threatens to end birthright citizenship. But Marco Rubio If I were, would I support Anton’s extremist views? Was it approved by the Secretary of State?
Other picks for the next president that have caused alarm over the immigration issue include Stephen Miller, who designed the family separation policy during the Trump administration’s first term, as deputy chief of staff, and Tom Homan as “border czar.” Included.
Trump also appointed anti-immigrant and dog-killing Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, and a former Democratic House member with a history of being “very sympathetic” to former Syrian President Narendra Modi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I chose Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Bashar al-Assad as Director of National Intelligence and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
These roles typically require Senate confirmation, as does the Secretary of Defense. President Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon is “Fox & Friends” co-host Pete Hegseth, who is a “lobbyist for war criminals” and, in his own words, a Jerusalem cross. He was “considered an extremist” because of his tattoo, which prevented him from leading the Pentagon. He enlisted in the National Guard in preparation for President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
