Donald Trump condemns alt-right supporters who hailed him as their ‘champion’
PRESIDENT-elect Donald Trump has “disavowed and condemned” his far-right supporters after they hailed him their victor and champion during a recent gathering.
In an interview with the New York Times on Tuesday, Trump said: “Of course… I disavow and condemn them.”
When asked for his opinion on American “alt-right” group the National Policy Institute, which includes neo-Nazis, white nationalists and anti-Semites, Trump said: “It’s not a group I want to energise.
"And if they are energised I want to look into it and find out why.”
Trump's alt-right supporters were filmed in Washington DC on Sunday, cheering and raising their arms in the Nazi salute as leader Richard Spencer said: “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!”
In a clip of the rally, Spencer said America belongs to white people, whom he described as “children of the sun”.
The President-elect's disavowal of alt-right groups come following his appointment of Steve Bannon as his White House Chief Strategist.
Bannon, 62, is the executive chairman of the far-right website Breitbart News, which has previously boasted about being a “platform for the alt-right”.
Trump defended his newly-appointed Chief Strategist, insisting Breitbart is “just a publication”.
He said: “I’ve known Steve Bannon a long time.
“If I thought he was a racist or alt-right… I wouldn't even think about hiring him.”
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