Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, who once proposed a black-only nation and is now a leading candidate to be the next Democratic National Committee chairman, told supporters Friday that President-elect Donald Trump is bringing white supremacy back to the White House.
According to The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel, Ellison made these statements at the DNC’s Future Forum in Phoenix, Arizona, and received a warm response to his remarks.
At the same event on Saturday, Ellison also accused Trump of being a “prolific misogynist,” according to the Washington Examiner.
“This guy is the most prolific misogynist as anybody who has ever occupied that office. The sisters of the Democratic Party have been insulted by this man and the resistance to this man has to come from the Democratic Party,” he said.
On the same day, Ellison attacked Trump on Twitter over the president-elect’s response to Georgia Rep. John Lewis’ assertion that he is not a legitimate president.
.@repjohnlewis knows true sacrifice. @realDonaldTrump has no clue. When cluelessness collides with power oppression results. Resistance! https://t.co/Eu1vWbetsl
— Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) January 14, 2017
Ellison is a strong contender to be the next chairman of the beleaguered DNC, but he has recently come under attack over his criticism of Israel and past support for black nationalism. While in law school, Ellison wrote columns endorsing the creation of a separate, black-only state in North America and praised the Nation of Islam. (RELATED: Keith Ellison Once Proposed Making A Separate Country For Blacks)
“[W]hites have it written into their very Constitution that blacks shall be considered three-fifths of a person for purposes of taxation and representation of their white owners,” he wrote in one column. “Their Constitution also makes provisions for the return of runaway slaves. Their constitution is the bedrock of American law; it’s the best evidence of a white racist conspiracy to subjugate other peoples.”