As revealed on the Halloween episode of The Rachel Maddow Show, Donald Trump has a new “major” newspaper endorsement. This is his second such score, as he received an endorsement from the Las Vegas Review-Journal — owned by billionaire GOP donor Sheldon Adelson — at the end of October, but even Trump may reject the second one. The Klu Klux Klan has given its blessing to Trump in their latest issue of The Crusader — the Klan’s official newspaper — and even used his “Make America Great Again” slogan as a front page headline. This Trump has not been too kind to the media, which may explain his lack of endorsements.
Perhaps the KKK decided to go with The Donald because some of his supporters’ rally cries speak to their ideologies. Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric may also have swayed the deck too. Here’s a glimpse of the paper:
KKK Newspaper – Trump Endorsement Issue by jecarter4 on Scribd
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Trump has yet to comment on this endorsement or the one from former member David Duke, but he appears to be staying away as far as possible. Maddow hints that the KKK and its affiliates have become fringe supporters of Trump, and the campaign may not want anything to do with them, including the white nationalist group American National Super PAC. Maddow explains how a proposed Trump delegate was removed from his post because of his affiliation.
KKK aside, Trump did finally get his first major publication endorsement from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The thing is, that endorsement didn’t come without some controversy. The Las Vegas Review-Journal endorsement comes on the heels of Sheldon Adelson purchasing the newspaper last year for $140 million. Adelson, like Trump, is a billionaire who has ties to properties in Las Vegas. The Washington Post reported how the Review-Journal “remains a prime target for anyone seeking to influence voters in Nevada,” and that the purchase and endorsement may have contributed to that.
Trump has received some endorsements from smaller newspapers, but no other major ones. In fact, we are witnessing an unprecedented time for newspaper trends as several conservative publications have gone against the grain and thrown their support behind Hillary Clinton. Or if you’re the Chicago Tribune, you buck all trends and go with Gary Johnson.
UPDATE: The Trump campaign reached out to us with a statement on the KKK endorsement — “Mr. Trump and the campaign denounces hate in any form. This publication is repulsive and their views do not represent the tens of millions of Americans who are uniting behind our campaign.”
(The Washington Post & Media Matters for America)
