Video shows a man holding up a hand gesture tied to white supremacy behind Trump at his Florida rally

trump rally florida white power sign
An attendee of President's Trump rally in The Villages, Florida appears to hold up a white power sign on October 23, 2020.

A man who was standing directly behind President Donald Trump during his rally in The Villages, Florida, was filmed repeatedly holding up a hand gesture linked to white supremacy.

In a video of the event, the man, who was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, appeared to be holding up an "OK" sign on numerous occasions.

It is not immediately clear what the man meant to gesture, and Business Insider has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.

The gesture, made by connecting the thumb with the forefinger, has become a popular sign used among members of the far-right, including white supremacists, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

It was started by 4chan members in 2017 and has since been used "as a sincere expression of White Supremacy," the ADL said.

Watch footage from the rally here:

Friday's rally came months after an elderly Trump supporter was filmed in The Villages pumping his fist and chanting "white power" while riding a golf cart in June.

Days later Trump shared footage of that moment on Twitter, thanking "the great people of The Villages." He later deleted the tweet. White House spokesman Judd Deere said at the time the president "did not hear the one statement made on the video" before he shared it.

According to Business Insider's Dave Levinthal, The Villages retirement community is a "reliably conservative community where voting rates obliterate national averages." The central Florida retirement community is also a fundraising stronghold.

On Thursday's presidential debate, Trump claimed to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and moderator Kirsten Welker, who is Black, that he was the "least racist person" in the room.

When asked about why he had spoken unfavorably about the Black Lives Matter movement, the president responded: "You have to understand, the first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, they were chanting: 'Pigs in a blanket,' talking about police. That was my first glimpse of Black Lives Matter."

"I thought it was a terrible thing," Trump continued. "As far as my relationships with all people, I think I have great relationships with all people. I am the least racist person in this room."

Biden later said Trump "pours fuel on every single racist fire" and "has a dog whistle as big as a foghorn."

Read the original article on Business Insider


Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/2IWsjiV
Video shows a man holding up a hand gesture tied to white supremacy behind Trump at his Florida rally Video shows a man holding up a hand gesture tied to white supremacy behind Trump at his Florida rally Reviewed by mimisabreena on Saturday, October 24, 2020 Rating: 5

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