Bill Mitchell, an executive recruiter and radio host in North Carolina, was a widely mocked for his refusal to accept the results of polls predicting a Hillary Clinton victory in the presidential election.
You known why Trump's ground game is beating Hillary's? Because Trump's groundgame is in our hearts… 🙂
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) November 7, 2016
BuzzFeed and other outlets wrote gawking profiles of Mitchell, describing him as the leader of the “post-truth, post-math” faction of the Trump movement.
But Mitchell was right. The ground game really was in their hearts. Trump won the election, and all the “smart” pundits predicting a Clinton victory looked like idiots. Mitchell quickly became the preeminent political pundits of the Trump era.
Accordingly, Mitchell caused quite a stir in recent days when he took to Twitter to express his profound discomfort with the so-called “alt-right” movement that rose to prominence as a result of Trump’s political success in 2016.
Mitchell began expressing his doubts about the movement in the final days of 2016.
This alt-right #WhiteGenocide fringe will have as much effect as #NeverTrump. Lots of noise, no results.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) December 28, 2016
Then, on New Year’s Day, he came out swinging. The alt-right movement “has lost their damned minds,” Mitchell wrote on Twitter, and has been “co-opted by racist maniacs.”
This whole atl-right crowd has lost their damned minds. Whatever alt-right was initially, it's been co-opted by racist maniacs.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 2, 2017
The alt-right might have began as an inoffensive, “anti-establishment” movement, Mitchell argued. But it has morphed into something “insane.”
Alt-right started out as something we all believe in: anti-establishment. But it's been taken over by the insane #WhiteGenocide crowd.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 2, 2017
Mitchell expressed his concern with the alt-right’s association with the broader demographic of Trump supporters.
The problem with "alt-right" is different people think it means very different things. We need more clearcut branding for our movement.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 3, 2017
Mitchell personally disavowed the movement and sought to disassociate himself, and Trump, from the alt-right.
I'm not alt-right and have never claimed to be. I'm #TrumpTrain, #AmericaFirst and #MAGA.
Period.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 3, 2017
As Mitchell later noted, Trump himself disavowed the alt-right shortly after winning the election. “I don’t want to energize the group, and I disavow the group,” Trump said when asked about the alt-right during a meeting with New York Times reporters on November 22.
How can people say they are alt-right and support Trump when Trump himself has specifically disavowed the entire movement? https://t.co/gM1rS5GYfM
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 3, 2017
Alt-right folks who voted for Trump hoping he would install a white supremacist regime as president were bound to be disappointed, Mitchell argued, because Trump is “the exact opposite of a racist.”
Anyone who voted for Trump hoping he was a racist will be sorely disappointed. He is the exact opposite of a racist.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 3, 2017
Mitchell posted a lengthier response to “the whole alt-right craziness” on his radio show’s YouTube channel.
My response to the whole alt-right craziness. https://t.co/Mj6v2OKObC
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 3, 2017
TAKE THE QUIZ
