January 1, Kanye West Praises Hitler During Antisemitic Tirade on Infowars

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1989: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President George H. W. Bush, declare the Cold War over.

Kanye West doubled down on his recent antisemitic comments during an appearance on Alex Jones’ show “Infowars,” praising Adolf Hitler and Nazis.

“I like Hitler”

“You’re not Hitler, you’re not a Nazi, you don’t deserve to be called that and demonized,” Jones told West, who now goes by Ye.

“Well, I see good things about Hitler also. I love everyone,” Ye responded. “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler.”

“I like Hitler,” Ye says at one point during the interview. He then went on to deny the Holocaust. “The Holocaust is not what happened — let’s look at the facts of that — and Hitler has a lot of redeeming qualities.”

After Jones pushed back on some of the rapper’s remarks, Ye said he “not like the word evil next to Nazis.”

“I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis,” Ye said.

“Well, I have to disagree with that,” Jones responded.

Republican lawmakers condemn Ye’s remarks

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), a Jewish member of Congress, sharply rebuked the rapper in a statement.

“Kanye West is a deranged antisemite. I want absolutely nothing to do with that lunatic. He’s totally bad news,” Zeldin told POLITICO.

The Republican Jewish Coalition issued a statement condemning Ye’s Infowars interview.

“Conservatives who have mistakenly indulged Kanye West must make it clear that he is a pariah,” the group said in a statement. “Enough is enough.”

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson (R), described by POLITICO as a rising star within the GOP, called Ye’s remarks “disgusting.”

“Kanye West’s anti-Semitic comments today were disgusting. His pattern of anti-Semitic behavior is unacceptable and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. We must call out this hateful rhetoric and root out anti-Semitism wherever it rears its ugly head,” Hinson tweeted.

Musk suspends Ye’s Twitter account

Hours after his lengthy interview, Ye tweeted an image of a swastika inside a Star of David. Not long after, Twitter CEO Elon Musk suspended Ye’s Twitter account.

“I tried my best,” Musk wrote in a tweet. “Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended.”

Less than 20 minutes later, Musk addressed the move with a concise tweet that read “FAFO” — or, “f—k around and find out.”

Ye no longer buying social media app Parler

Hours before his Twitter suspension, the conservative social media platform Parler announced that it had ended a previous deal to sell the site to Ye.

“This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November. Parler will continue to pursue future opportunities for growth and the evolution of the platform for our vibrant community,” a spokesperson for the network’s parent company, Parlement Technologies told NPR.

Sources: The Hill | NPR | POLITICO