On November 22, 2022, Donald Trump sparked widespread outrage when he had dinner with Ye (formerly known as Kanye) and well-known white nationalist Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump’s dinner with Ye would have been problematic enough, given Ye’s recent notoriety for making antisemitic comments, and the addition of Fuentes, who Trump claimed was uninvited and unknown to him before the meeting, raises further concerns.

CREW has requested records from DHS related to the presence of Fuentes at the dinner, such as guest lists and rapid response to his arrival and attendance.

The records may shed light as to how the former president ended up dining with a well-known white nationalist, and how the publicly-funded security protection he receives at Mar-a-Lago reacted in real time. A lack of records or failure to have properly vetted and accounted for guests to the former president would also be telling—and a reminder of how great of a national security risk Mar-a-Lago has been in not only the last few months but throughout the Trump presidency as well. Trump is unfortunately no stranger to cozying up to white supremacists and has spewed anti-semetic tropes on his Truth Social social media platform. There has also long been a connection between Trump’s anti-democratic efforts and anti-Semitism, especially as witnessed on January 6th.

As Trump makes another run for office, his every move will appear politically charged, despite intentions, and having dinner with a known white nationalist and anti-semite while taxpayers fund his protection surely sends a dangerous message about his priorities for democracy and signals white supremacists that they are successfully infiltrating the GOP party. The public needs to know the extent of Trump’s complicitness in hosting a white nationalist for dinner at his own property and any government involvement in briefing the former president.

FOIA request

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