Racist comments, controversies and far-right politics
The Washington Post has described King as "the U.S. congressman most openly affiliated with white nationalism", while Vanity Fair has said his opinions in this direction are "barely veiled".[14][104] David Leonhardt in an opinion piece for The New York Times has explicitly identified King as being a "white nationalist".[105] King has stirred controversy and come to prominence by making statements that have been described as racist[4][13][6][106][107][108][109] or racially charged.[9][110][111][10][112] He is a staunch opponent of immigration and multiculturalism and has supported various far-right European politicians. According to The Guardian, King "has long been one of the most vociferously anti-immigration members of the House Republican caucus."[113] King has said that he is not a racist.[13]
In October 2018, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Steve Stivers, condemned King as a racist, saying that King's actions and comments were "completely inappropriate" and constituted "white supremacy and hate."[114] The NRCC said it would not help King in his 2018 re-election efforts.[12] Representative Carlos Curbelo described King's comments and actions as "disgusting" and said that he would never vote for someone like King.[115] Senator Ted Cruz called King's rhetoric "divisive" but stopped short of condemning him.[114] Other Republicans, such as House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, dismissed the idea that King is racist.[114]
In a January 2019 New York Times interview, King asked, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?"[116] He was subsequently condemned by numerous Republican members of Congress, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other members of the House Republican leadership.[117][118][119] Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro called for both King to be censured, and for a primary challenge against King.[120] After the interview was published, and after backlash from across the political spectrum, King issued a statement via Twitter stating that he was "simply a Nationalist," that he did not advocate for "white nationalism and white supremacy", and that "I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I reject those labels and the evil ideology they define."[13][119][121]
