Former KKK leader David Duke, who is running for U.S. Senate in Louisiana, urged residents of the Bayou State to back him and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in a fundraising letter mailed last week.
In the Oct. 6 letter, which was obtained by The Huffington Post, the former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard boasted that he spent years speaking out about the same issues the GOP nominee has tackled this election cycle and claimed he would “encourage Trump to go even further to save America.”
“Thank God Trump has emerged and embraced my issues such as stopping immigration, fair trade not free trade, and America First. I will be the most outspoken voice in the Senate. Nothing could have more impact than to send me to the Senate!” Duke says in the letter, adding that he would work to preserve “our heritage” if elected.
The white nationalist even used some of Trump’s own rhetoric to accuse the media of distorting his record.
“The media has raked me over the coals, targeted me, lied endlessly about me, but I have never given up. I’m still standing, still fighting, and I remain unbroken,” the letter said.
Duke closed the missive by urging supporters to donate to his campaign, offering to throw in an autographed hat with the words “I’m for Duke & Trump!” emblazoned on the front for any contribution of $50 or more.
Attempts to reach Duke’s campaign on Sunday were unsuccessful. The voicemail box corresponding to the phone number at his office in Mandeville, Louisiana, was full. A request for comment to Trump’s campaign was not immediately returned.
It wouldn’t be the first time Duke had associated himself with the GOP nominee. In August, Trump’s campaign disavowed a robocall from Duke in which he urged Louisiana residents to “vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me, David Duke, for the U.S. Senate.” The former KKK leader has encouraged his radio show listeners to volunteer for Trump’s campaign. And his own campaign website is filled with positive mentions of the real estate mogul.
Trump has disavowed Duke’s support, but that hasn’t stopped white supremacists from flocking to Trump’s campaign. Over the weekend, a Trump supporter left a sign emblazoned with a swastika in the press area following a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Read Duke’s two-page letter below:
HUFFPOST READERS: What’s happening in your state or district? The Huffington Post wants to know about all the campaign ads, mailers, robocalls, candidate appearances and other interesting campaign news happening by you. Email any tips, videos, audio files or photos to scoops@huffingtonpost.com.
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
Also on HuffPost
SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW
Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day. Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements.
Learn more