David Duke, the anti-Semitic former Ku Klux Klan leader, praised Republican front-runner Donald Trump for his immigration policy proposals and said Trump is “the best of the lot.”
After ranting about “Jewish supremacy” and Jewish domination of the media, Duke took time out of two of his radio programs last week to talk up Trump’s candidacy as a “great thing,” praising the Republican candidate’s plan to deport the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
“Trump is really — he’s really going all out. He’s saying what no other Republicans have said, few conservatives say. And he’s also gone to the point where he says it’s not just illegal immigration, it’s legal immigration,” Duke said last week on his radio show, also pointing to Trump’s plan to put more restrictions on work visas to ensure Americans are hired before foreigners. Buzzfeed News first reported the comments on Tuesday.
Duke, who previously served in the Louisiana statehouse and ran for U.S. Senate in that state, did not endorse Trump and said Trump remains untrustworthy for his “deep Jewish connections” and support for Israel.
Trump, whose daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism and is religiously observant, has been very vocal about his support for Israel and has slammed President Barack Obama’s administration for strained relations with the Israeli government.
CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Trump this year was honored with the “Liberty Award” by The Algemeiner, a leading Jewish newspaper in the U.S., for his contributions to the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Duke said that while he was unsure about the sincerity of Trump’s views, he said he was glad Trump was bringing the issue of immigration to the fore.
“I don’t think he’s trustable … but at the same time, great, I don’t care what his motivation is on this issue, at least it’s being discussed,” Duke said on his program.
