19 votes

Nick Fuentes breaks with US President Donald Trump and MAGA over Jeffrey Epstein

29 comments

  1. [8]
    Eji1700
    (edited )
    Link
    “For this week”. I hate being glib but I just have 0 faith any of this bears meaningful fruit. People are acting, for the 100th time, like THIS is the end of MAGA and Trump and I sincerely doubt...

    “For this week”.

    I hate being glib but I just have 0 faith any of this bears meaningful fruit. People are acting, for the 100th time, like THIS is the end of MAGA and Trump and I sincerely doubt it.

    Next big news event this too will wash away and we’re on to the next pile of excuses

    33 votes
    1. [3]
      boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      We will all find out but it looks to me like Epstein is getting traction, causing cognitive dissonance with Trump supporters. If I'm proved wrong then oh well. But if you are going to run a quasi...

      We will all find out but it looks to me like Epstein is getting traction, causing cognitive dissonance with Trump supporters.

      If I'm proved wrong then oh well. But if you are going to run a quasi religious political movement, it pays to be careful about the myths and symbols that are important to group members.

      13 votes
      1. [2]
        nukeman
        Link Parent
        Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had staying power. Sex trafficking and vaccines (notice the common theme: purity/poisoning of children) hold immense importance among hardcore MAGA folks and...

        Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had staying power. Sex trafficking and vaccines (notice the common theme: purity/poisoning of children) hold immense importance among hardcore MAGA folks and the far-right. Additionally, Epstein stuff in particular is of interest to a lot of the casual voters who really only show up for Trump. A couple points swing is all it takes to see an effect.

        17 votes
        1. boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          If I remember correctly you are in a red state. Thanks for your perspective.

          If I remember correctly you are in a red state. Thanks for your perspective.

          5 votes
    2. raze2012
      Link Parent
      I guess we'll see. As someone who hasn't followed this that closely (my thoughts at the time: "yup, a rare white collar crime being punished. Day to day life still the same"), I thought we'd be...

      I guess we'll see. As someone who hasn't followed this that closely (my thoughts at the time: "yup, a rare white collar crime being punished. Day to day life still the same"), I thought we'd be over this by 2020. But the conspirsts seemed to have really kept this story alive for 5+ years now. And Trump chose to stroke those flames.

      The interesting part about this is 2 fold:

      1. Conspirsts aren't necessarily pro-trump. They are anti-establishment. So if they see the same patterns they fixate on for years, then they will put the pieces together.

      2. The topic here is one of the rare ones beyond the Overton window. One that apparently even MAGA can't defend.

      So this may go on for a while longer.


      Now, Nick Fuentes? Yeah, he might be back next week. He's likely not a true conspirator; on the paycheck playing a role. If the money tells him to comeback, he will. That's where his true alliance lies.

      12 votes
    3. [3]
      AnthonyB
      Link Parent
      It's definitely the shakiest the base has ever been, and there is an obsession with pedophiles (pedopheliaphelia?) within large swaths of his 35% ride-or-die supporters. If anything is going to...

      It's definitely the shakiest the base has ever been, and there is an obsession with pedophiles (pedopheliaphelia?) within large swaths of his 35% ride-or-die supporters. If anything is going to break up that marriage, it would be something as insane as the Epstein saga. Having said that, I still wouldn't bet on it.

      7 votes
      1. [2]
        Omnicrola
        Link Parent
        #offtopic Wouldn't that be someone who is sexually attracted to other people who are sexually attracted to children?

        #offtopic

        pedopheliaphelia

        Wouldn't that be someone who is sexually attracted to other people who are sexually attracted to children?

        1. Sodliddesu
          Link Parent
          Philia more accurately translates to 'friendship' in my understanding.

          Philia more accurately translates to 'friendship' in my understanding.

  2. boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    Also fuck Fuentes and all white supremacists

    Also fuck Fuentes and all white supremacists

    32 votes
  3. [6]
    canekicker
    (edited )
    Link
    Some meta commentary on this publication from someone who used to mod a subreddit (side note, fuck that place) focused on higher quality news. There's been a few sites, namely Latin Times, Irish...

    Some meta commentary on this publication from someone who used to mod a subreddit (side note, fuck that place) focused on higher quality news. There's been a few sites, namely Latin Times, Irish Star, and The Daily Boulder that seem to exist to churn low quality, high engagement, left biased rage bait. Throw in contributor networks from notable publications like HuffPo and Forbes as well as general decline in legacy publications like Newsweek and the whole media landscape is turning to shit and the good stuff is all behind paywalls.

    Like do I believe what this article is somewhat accurate? Absolutely and Latin Times is better than it's sister site Irish Star and light years ahead of Daily Boulder but to me, they all have questionable journalistic standards and low credibility. While this singular article is probably ok, I tend to take everything from these outlets with a grain of salt. That said, fuck Nick Fuentes and that whole alt right/racist influence sphere. I hope they never find peace and live a long life suffering proportionally to the harm they cause

    18 votes
    1. [5]
      nukeman
      Link Parent
      Arr/neutralnews? Was there something that happened that I missed?

      Arr/neutralnews? Was there something that happened that I missed?

      3 votes
      1. [4]
        canekicker
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Yup, nothing "happened" but I have strong feelings so this will be a long one. If anyone spent time in the subreddit or it's sister subreddit /r/neutralpolitics over the last 5 years, I should be...

        Yup, nothing "happened" but I have strong feelings so this will be a long one. If anyone spent time in the subreddit or it's sister subreddit /r/neutralpolitics over the last 5 years, I should be somewhat familiar and apologize for removing your comment. I should have let all that shit fly to burn down the place. Here's the core of my issue: there's a complete inability and unwillingness to adapt procedures. When Reddit was smaller and there good faith discourse was more common, those processes worked but now, the bad faith is so easy and too common.

        The rules are so ill-equipped to handle the bullshit and shitty rhetorical tactics mostly coming from the right. To be honest, some mods care more about keeping it open to these people because they represent a political perspective (a fucking shitty one) than trying to make the place more welcoming to users acting in good faith. Why worry about the 80% when you can do everything to protect the 20% who make everyone's life worse? Any proposed change had to come about by overhauling the already complicated rule system, which required reworking procedures, pointless deliberation, and sometimes multiple votes. For example, the rules for how a new source is added? That was created by me and you know why it was created? Because I couldn't ban some fuckwad user who kept finding loopholes in our source standard to post bullshit. The only reason we made any progress on that fucko was because I threatened to quit. We also had a run in with niche crack pot Michael Harrop aka MaxamillianKohler and as the only person on the team with a background who could see through Harrop's bullshit, I argued multiple times for his ban but was denied. You know how Harrop was "solved"? He was banned from all of Reddit. Note, Harrop tried to come here and was basically banned on sight. THAT'S HOW YOU FUCKING DO IT. The fact that Reddit, a place well known for tolerating pedophilia and Qanon-cultist, found Harrop more reprehensible than members of that mod team speaks volumes. Every other reasonable subreddit just banned these users, but no, we couldn't because of "wE ArE rElucTanT to BaN uSerS". Honestly, it's a perfect place to nazi bar and I'm hoping it happens one day.

        As a mod who did the fucking vast majority of work (I want to say it was like mid 80% of mod actions for long stretches) on both subreddits for years, it fucking takes a toll on you and anytime I tried to solve an issue, I had to contort my thinking to try to get something passed. This type of mindset fucks up your thinking and solutions are never the simple or obvious one. It destroys your spirit and the veteran mods do not support you and if anything, make your life harder. I joined around a time where we had quite a few new active mods and they all burned out and became inactive long before I quit. I know for a fact that three of these mods just got tired of dealing with the bullshit without support. I was harassed multiple times in DMs, harassed in the comment section, and I had a user literally calling for my sterilization. No support, no updating of the rules, no ability to permaban users without a vote. Just suck it up, it's part of the "job". And when I left, I got a response from one of them that basically was "sorry you feel this way". It's why I deleted everything in my old account and when I saw my comments/posts weren't being deleted properly, I just nuked my Reddit account because I want nothing to do with that place and I want to destroy anything I ever contributed to it. So yea, fuck that place. Fuck some of those mods.

        TL;DR - Modding is hard. Modding a political subreddit is even harder. Modding a subreddit where other mods stick their head in the sand or work against you? IMPOSSIBLE

        14 votes
        1. [3]
          TheRtRevKaiser
          Link Parent
          As somebody who mods a politics forum, I feel for you. I was subbed to Neuralnews for a while years ago, but honest the "view from nowhere" rules were incredibly frustrating. There were right wing...

          As somebody who mods a politics forum, I feel for you. I was subbed to Neuralnews for a while years ago, but honest the "view from nowhere" rules were incredibly frustrating. There were right wing people who were willing to put in so much work to make sure their gish gallop stayed within the letter of the rules and trying to counteract their bullshit was exhausting. I think that was the beginning of me realizing that "neutral" doesn't mean fair or correct by any means.

          Respect to you for sticking with it and trying to make things better. It's a thankless, exhausting task.

          10 votes
          1. CptBluebear
            Link Parent
            That is exactly why Tildes has a much simpler rule. Specific rulesets only serve someone willing to skirt them in the first place. By not allowing people to be assholes in the first place you can...

            That is exactly why Tildes has a much simpler rule. Specific rulesets only serve someone willing to skirt them in the first place. By not allowing people to be assholes in the first place you can kick the rules lawyering instigator.

            It's like arguing with my child. They keep trying to rope me into it but brushing your teeth is not up for discussion.

            7 votes
          2. canekicker
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            Yup and it's still the case. There was nothing more infuriating to me than leaving up a bad faith, barely compliant comment but having to take down all the good but rule breaking rebuttals,...

            There were right wing people who were willing to put in so much work to make sure their gish gallop stayed within the letter of the rules and trying to counteract their bullshit was exhausting.

            Yup and it's still the case. There was nothing more infuriating to me than leaving up a bad faith, barely compliant comment but having to take down all the good but rule breaking rebuttals, usually for a lack of sourcing or addressing the user. It'll be the case with that subreddit until something drastic changes as all these ass holes employ the same tactic and anyone who tries to participate in a productive and good faith way will get burned out, myself included.

            edit: In all my years of modding, not once did anyone respond to one of my removals with this. Like that's just how shitty some of these Redditors are.

            5 votes
  4. papasquat
    Link
    This is what, the 5th time? Why do we still keep giving this clown air time or give a shit what he says about anything, let alone the thing he's already said multiple times in the past and then...

    This is what, the 5th time? Why do we still keep giving this clown air time or give a shit what he says about anything, let alone the thing he's already said multiple times in the past and then pretended like he didn't. He's a Neo Nazi, a fascist, and a liar.

    Why bother reporting on anything that comes out of his mouth?

    13 votes
  5. cloud_loud
    Link
    Not that I follow Fuentes closely but I have gotten clips of him on TikTok. He was also highly critical of Trump’s Israel alliance and his attacks on Iran. Primarily for anti-Semitic reasons but...

    Not that I follow Fuentes closely but I have gotten clips of him on TikTok. He was also highly critical of Trump’s Israel alliance and his attacks on Iran. Primarily for anti-Semitic reasons but Fuentes isn’t a devout supporter is what I’m getting at.

    5 votes
  6. [5]
    AnthonyB
    Link
    I was just thinking about posting an Epstein topic to gauge tildes' feelings about the whole saga. I don't know if other topics have been removed, but the only post that came up when I searched...

    I was just thinking about posting an Epstein topic to gauge tildes' feelings about the whole saga. I don't know if other topics have been removed, but the only post that came up when I searched his name was about some silly video game (I also don't recall seeing any posts about him ever).

    I personally have the Epstein story in the JFK tier, which could be summed up with 'I have no idea what to believe,' but I'm curious what others in this community think.

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      nukeman
      Link Parent
      I think suicide or a (small) conspiracy is entirely plausible. If you have been arrested, believe you are going to spend the rest of your life in prison (where you’ll be at the bottom of the...

      I think suicide or a (small) conspiracy is entirely plausible.

      • If you have been arrested, believe you are going to spend the rest of your life in prison (where you’ll be at the bottom of the hierarchy due to your crimes), and will lose your lifestyle, then killing oneself to avoid repercussions is entirely logical. Semi-related: Many people insist their relatives weren’t suicidal, when in reality they missed the warning signs and didn’t want to believe what really happened. On top of that, many prison COs are not on-top of tasks like suicide watch.
      • A conspiracy to “deal with” Epstein wouldn’t surprise me either. It just takes one person in “the book”, plus said prison guards, and maybe an inmate, to take care of things. If you know Epstein is suicidal, just pay the guards to slack off. Three to five people is not a lot to need to keep quiet.
      10 votes
      1. CannibalisticApple
        Link Parent
        I remember reading a reddit comment that made me realize suicide is, in fact, very plausible. Along with the decrease in quality of life after incarceration you mentioned, Epstein had made many...

        I remember reading a reddit comment that made me realize suicide is, in fact, very plausible. Along with the decrease in quality of life after incarceration you mentioned, Epstein had made many powerful enemies. I have no doubt at least one of his clients would have the influence to plant someone in the prison to kill him rather than risk him someday leaking information.

        He was looking at a lifetime of paranoia and fearing for his safety. At least with suicide he could go out on his own terms rather than risk suffering a prolonged or otherwise painful death. I wouldn't be surprised if the guards were paid to remind him of that and encourage him to take the easy way out.

        2 votes
    2. [2]
      boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      If this has legs we may want a mega thread. In the meantime, Fox reported Dem Senator Wyden disclosing that treasury had Epstein financial documents. Fox article

      If this has legs we may want a mega thread. In the meantime, Fox reported Dem Senator Wyden disclosing that treasury had Epstein financial documents.

      Fox article

      4 votes
      1. TheRtRevKaiser
        Link Parent
        There's also this article reporting that FBI agents were instructed earlier this year to flag any Epstein documents that mentioned Trump.

        There's also this article reporting that FBI agents were instructed earlier this year to flag any Epstein documents that mentioned Trump.

        5 votes
  7. [7]
    Drewbahr
    Link
    If you believe this, I have a bridge to sell you.

    If you believe this, I have a bridge to sell you.

    4 votes
    1. [6]
      boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      Watergate also started as something small. We'll see if the fuss dies down next week. I'm not committed to any particular outcome.

      Watergate also started as something small.

      We'll see if the fuss dies down next week. I'm not committed to any particular outcome.

      7 votes
      1. [3]
        Drewbahr
        Link Parent
        The fact that Trump himself has close ties with Epstein, has compared women he finds attractive to his own daughter (favorably), and has been known to go into the dressing rooms of underaged...

        The fact that Trump himself has close ties with Epstein, has compared women he finds attractive to his own daughter (favorably), and has been known to go into the dressing rooms of underaged women/girls during beauty pageants ... I don't think this will move the needle considerably.

        I was mostly saying "if you believe this" to the notion that racist Nazis like Nick Fuentes are somehow breaking with MAGA. They aren't. They never have any of the times before. Why would they now?

        10 votes
        1. [2]
          boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          Trump also promised to release the client list.

          Trump also promised to release the client list.

          4 votes
          1. CptBluebear
            Link Parent
            This is the sticking point, not that Trump is obviously on that list, but not releasing the Obama written client list that definitely does exist!

            This is the sticking point, not that Trump is obviously on that list, but not releasing the Obama written client list that definitely does does not does exist!

            2 votes
      2. [2]
        AnthonyB
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        WSJ just put out a story about Trump signing a lewd birthday card for Epstein's 50th. I can't get the archive link to work and don't subscribe, but from what I gathered on Twitter it seems like...

        WSJ just put out a story about Trump signing a lewd birthday card for Epstein's 50th. I can't get the archive link to work and don't subscribe, but from what I gathered on Twitter it seems like the juiciest detail is Trump's response, which was something along the lines of, "Nuh-uh! And if you print anything about that, I'm gonna sue the shit out of you."

        Edit: Nevermind, there was, uh, this. From the article:

        It isn’t clear how the letter with Trump’s signature was prepared. Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person.

        “Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note began.

        Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.

        Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.

        Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.

        Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.

        Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?

        Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.

        Trump: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.

        3 votes
        1. boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          I don't care about any birthday card, but there is a biography of Trump before he was elected with the title Plaintiff in Chief, written by Zirin a new York lawyer. Trump has been involved in more...

          I don't care about any birthday card, but there is a biography of Trump before he was elected with the title Plaintiff in Chief, written by Zirin a new York lawyer. Trump has been involved in more than 3500 lawsuits to date. He always sues. If he doesn't, he is afraid of discovery.

          2 votes