“World-Class Racist”: Eric Trump Faces Criticism After Attending Miami Event with Notorious Antisemitic Neo-Nazi

Michelle HollandNov 29, 2023

Minute Read

Eric Trump, the third child of former president Donald Trump, has generated backlash for a recent appearance at an event that was also attended by a neo-Nazi speaker.

The Event In Question

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The event Eric Trump attended in mid-October was a ReAwaken Tour event hosted at one of his father’s Miamis hotels. His wife Lara was also present. ReAwaken America Tour is a far-right, Christian nationalist movement established in 2021.

A Controversial Guest

The Trumps weren’t the only notable attendees hoping to draw in conservative crowds. Also invited to the event was a popular figure among right-wing Americans, Ian Smith, who delivered a speech at the event as one of its featured speakers.

A Far-Right Icon

Smith has not yet gained national notoriety, but he is well known among far-right circles and gained particular prominence throughout the pandemic. Smith owns a gym in New Jersey and refused to shut down in order to comply with government mandates during the outbreak of COVID-19, earning him many supporters.

The Extent of Smith’s Views

Smith has a myriad of harmful views beyond his polarizing takes on the pandemic. Smith is a holocaust denier and maintains that there was never a genocide of Jews at the hands of Hitler and the Nazis in 1930s and 40s Europe.

Attacking Biden’s Colleagues

Smith has also wondered why more people aren’t questioning the fact that everybody Joe Biden “surrounds himself with is Jewish.” Reportedly, he is the fourth antisemite who has appeared alongside Eric Trump on the ReAwaken Tour.

Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories

As well as this, Smith has repeatedly taken to social media and interviews to clarify his antisemitic views and promote antisemitic conspiracy theories. On The Pete Quinones Show podcast, he claimed that Jewish people are at the root of “all of these things that are used to control us.”

Unsuccessful Congress Bid

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Smith has also dabbled in a political career and ran for Congress in 2022, but was ultimately not elected. He also received media attention after recommending a propaganda film that paints Germany as the victims of the Second World War.

Legal Consequences

Though he has not been penalized for espousing antisemitic rhetoric, Smith did eventually face legal consequences for his behavior during the COVID-19 lockdowns. In March 2023, a judge ordered him to pay over $120,000 in fines alongside fellow co-owners of his business.

An Established Criminal

This, however, was not Smith’s first run-in with the law. In 2007, he killed someone while driving drunk, and in 2022, he was arrested for driving under the influence on charges that were dropped after he pled guilty to refusing “to take a breathalyzer test and careless driving.”

A Growing Fanbase

Despite this, Smith has remained popular among his like-minded far-right peers. He has been frequently platformed by the ReAwaken America Tour, an organization that claims to cater to “freedom-loving Americans.”

The ReAwaken America Tour

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The company is known for its perpetuation of several conspiracy theories, such as pandemic denialism, election denialism, QAnon, and doomsday prophecies. 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy previously spoke at one of the Tour’s events but has since distanced himself from the movement.

Eric’s Legal Trouble

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Eric Trump has also made headlines for his role in Donald Trump’s business fraud trial in New York, in which he is a co-defendant alongside his siblings Donald Jr. and Ivanka. The Trumps have been accused of inflating their net worth and overestimating the value of their properties in order to deceive banks. A summary verdict by Judge Arthur Engoron has already found that the defendants committed fraud.

Neo-Nazi Connections

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Eric Trump has also previously been photographed smiling with a known neo-Nazi who hosts his own Proud Boys group chat. The Proud Boys is a far-right, militant, exclusively male organization that was famously referenced by Donald Trump in a 2020 presidential debate.

Universal Condemnation

People online were disgusted at Eric Trump for his continued association with neo-Nazis, though most were unsurprised due to his known right-wing views and frequent prior appearances at the events. One forum user declared, “Like father, like son. Grandpa Trump was a world-class racist dirtbag too.”

Christian Zionist Antisemitism

Many people observed that Eric Trump and his followers are unconditionally pro-Israel despite associating with antisemites. One commenter explained, “Christian dispensationalism. They need the Jews to fight the Muslims so Mr. Jesus will come back to Earth and start the Rapture.”

Ironic Company Name

Another posted out the irony of the company hosting the event Eric Trump attended being called the ReAwaken America Tour. “‘ReAwaken’? Won’t they then be woke?” they pointed out, referring to the far-right’s crusade against the so-called “woke agenda”.

An Ulterior Motive

A different user joked that Eric Trump had ulterior motives for cozying up to neo-Nazis. “He’s trying to ingratiate himself with the white supremacists so he can join their gang when he goes to jail,” they speculated.