Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

‘Silence is complicity’: Biden responds to Kanye West’s Hitler praise

‘The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides’

Andrew Feinberg
Friday 02 December 2022 15:23 EST
Comments
Alex Jones attempts to persuade Kanye West to say he 'didn't like Hitler'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

President Joe Biden on Friday called on political leaders to step up by “calling out and rejecting antisemitism” after disgraced rapper and prominent Donald Trump supporter Kanye West praised Adolf Hitler and declared himself “a Nazi” during an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Writing on his official Twitter account, Mr Biden said he wanted to “make a few things clear”.

“The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides,” he said.

“Silence is complicity,” he added.

Mr Biden’s comments came roughly 24 hours after West’s shocking interview, during which he left Jones – himself a notorious figure with a history of courting controversy – flummoxed by declaring that he sees “good things about Hitler” while sitting alongside Holocaust denier and white nationalist Nick Fuentes on Jones’s Infowars programme.

“Every human being has value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler,” the musician said before later calling himself a Nazi.

West’s bizarre comments came one week after he, Fuentes, and notorious far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos broke bread with Mr Trump at his Palm Beach, Florida country club.

The twice-impeached ex-president, who last month declared himself a candidate in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, has not made any public statement about his longtime friend’s praise of the genocidal dictator.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in