How This Former KKK Leader Supported Trump

Despite the fact that he lost his U.S. Senate race in Louisiana, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke was back on Twitter celebrating on Tuesday night, just not his own victories. Duke took the time to reach out to Donald Trump and cheer him on in an absolutely astounding presidential race. But the fact that the former leader of the KKK is actively cheering on a presidential nominee is disconcerting, to say the least.

Duke has a history of enthusiasm for Trump. In December 2015, Duke said that he believed Trump forwarded the "human rights of European Americans." Later, in February, he said that voting against Trump was a "treason to your heritage," though he didn't exactly specify whose heritage it was, specifically.

Trump never officially acknowledged that Duke had endorsed him for president. He claimed that he was ignorant to Duke's endorsements, even casting doubt on who Duke, a well-known white supremacist, was. Despite that, Duke continued to plug Trump as he campaigned for the U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana. His enthusiasm for Trump, apparently, carried him through to Election Day when he tweeted this pre-emptive congratulatory message to the soon-to-be elected president of the United States.

In the lead up to Trump's election, Duke added to his account that he was very excited about Trump's chances, noting that his "people" played a huge role in electing Trump.

Again, it's unclear who Duke was referring to when he said "our people."

Regardless, moving forward, it's going to be impossible for Trump to continue to ignore the fact that a white supremacist is one of his most fervent backers. As the Southern Poverty Law Center noted, Duke is one of the most recognizable figures in the white supremacist movement, and is also an avid Holocaust denier.

That isn't exactly the type of person that the president should probably be aligning himself with, or at the very least, not someone who he should even condone support from. It remains to be seen if Duke will continue his avid support of Trump as he assumes the White House, especially since Duke will no longer be doing campaigning of his own. But if the former KKK leader furthers his support of Trump after he assumes his position in the White House, it's probably a good idea for Trump to address the elephant in the room.