The leader of a pro-Trump far-right group is claiming that a book exposing incompetence within the Trump administration is made up because the author looks a bit gay.
The claim comes from Gavin McInnes, who was one of the co-founders of Vice Media.
Since splitting from Vice, McInnes has developed increasingly extreme far-right views, and in 2016 he founded the pro-Trump, white nationalist ‘Proud Boys’ organisation.
The far-right activist this week reacted angrily to journalist Michael Wolff’s book ‘Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House’, an insider account of chaos within the Trump administration.
Speaking to his followers on an online video stream, McInnes claimed that Wolff was a liar and a “sociopath” because he has a “gay face”.
Dismissing reports that Trump’s former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon had criticised him, McInnes said: “Why are we assuming that Michael Wolff is good at his job?
“Have you ever seen Michael Wolff? Now, this isn’t a fact, this is just my theory, but he has a gay face.
“There’s nothing wrong with being gay, obviously. Chadwick Moore is a wonderful gay, so is Milo Yiannopoulous, but he appears to be a closeted gay and my experience with them is that they tend to be sociopaths
“They have a lot of bottled up sexual rage and they want revenge on the world. I don’t trust these stories.”
Bringing up a picture of Wolff, he added: “Does that face look a little gay to you?”
“I mean, it’s the lips. That kind of a pocket square, I wear it sometimes. I have slept with hundreds of women.
“So you have to either be a pimp, or a pussy. Seriously, though. Look at his demeanor. Am I crazy?
“Does that look like a closeted gay man to you? Only black guys and me can get away with that kind of color scheme.”
He added: “My gut kind of vibe is that this has to do with repressed homosexuality.”
Check out the clip via Right Wing Watch.
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President Trump recently dismissed the entire Presidential advisory council on HIV/AIDS.
The politician, who has faced warnings from former President George W Bush over the issue, last week decided to dismiss the entirety of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
All members of the council were informed of their dismissal by a letter sent via courier.
The move comes after the quiet closure of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, which was shuttered as part of the Presidential transition and never re-opened as Trump failed to appoint a new director.
Chicago-based HIV activist Scott A Schoettes, a former member of the council, laid into the decision.
He tweeted: “Remaining #HIV/AIDS council members booted by @realDonaldTrump. No respect for their service. Dangerous that #Trump and Co. (Pence esp.) are eliminating few remaining people willing to push back against harmful policies, like abstinence-only sex ed.”
Mr Schoettes accused Trump of “executing a purge” by eliminating the council in combination with other policies. It was reported earlier this month that federal agencies had been banned from using the word ‘transgender’.
Several previous members of the advisory council had already resigned in protest at Trump-era rollbacks on HIV/AIDS earlier this year.
Six people resigned from the Council en masse in June, saying that Trump and his administration “do not care” about the cause.
In a joint resignation letter, the group wrote that they had dedicated their lives to fighting HIV and AIDS, but felt that the Trump administration was preventing them from doing this successfully.
They wrote: “As advocates for people living with HIV, we have dedicated our lives to combating this disease and no longer feel we can do so effectively within the confines of an advisory body to a president who simply does not care.”
“The Trump Administration has no strategy to address the on-going HIV/AIDS epidemic, seeks zero input from experts to formulate HIV policy, and—most concerning—pushes legislation that will harm people living with HIV and halt or reverse important gains made in the fight against this disease.”
While Democratic candidates for President Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both met with HIV advocates and proposed an action plan on the issue, Donald Trump did not.
The letter also raised objection to Trump’s healthcare policies.
The letter stated: “We know who the biggest losers will be if states are given the option of eliminating essential health benefits or allowing insurers to charge people with HIV substantially more than others.
“It will be people—many of them people of color—across the South and in rural and underserved areas across the country, the regions and communities now at the epicentre of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic.
“It will be young gay and bisexual men; it will be women of colour; it will be transgender women; it will be low-income people. It will be people who become newly infected in an uncontrolled epidemic, new cases that could be prevented by appropriate care for those already living with the disease.”
The group concluded the letter by saying that the resignation was not an easy decision, but one that must be made.
“The decision to resign from government service is not one that any of us take lightly. However, we cannot ignore the many signs that the Trump Administration does not take the on-going epidemic or the needs of people living with HIV seriously.”
Former President George W Bush previously issued a public warning to Donald Trump over proposals that would slash the budget for the US government’s HIV/AIDS programmes.
The bulk of the cuts are proposed to the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was set up by former President George W Bush to tackle the AIDS crisis, and is one of the largest providers of funding for global projects battling the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Former President Bush, who is often praised for setting up PEPFAR despite his broadly regressive stances on LGBT issues, penned an op-ed for the Washington Post warning against any cuts.
He wrote: “My administration launched PEPFAR in 2003 to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic that threatened to wipe out an entire generation on the continent of Africa. Nearly 15 years later, the program has achieved remarkable results in the fight against
“Nearly 15 years later, the program has achieved remarkable results in the fight against disease. Today, because of the commitment of many foreign governments, investments by partners, the resilience of the African people and the generosity of the American people, nearly 12 million lives have been saved.
He added: “As the executive and legislative branches review the federal budget, they will have vigorous debates about how best to spend taxpayers’ money — and they should.
“Some will argue that we have enough problems at home and shouldn’t spend money overseas. I argue that we shouldn’t spend money on programs that don’t work, whether at home or abroad.
“But they should fully fund programs that have proven to be efficient, effective and results-oriented.
“Saving nearly 12 million lives is proof that PEPFAR works, and I urge our government to fully fund it. We are on the verge of an AIDS-free generation, but the people of Africa still need our help.
“The American people deserve credit for this tremendous success and should keep going until the job is done.”
President Obama also previously warned about the importance of maintaining funding for HIV/AIDS projects.
