Donald Trump lands a high-profile newspaper endorsement—from the KKK

Much has been made in recent weeks of Donald Trump’s shocking lack of endorsements from just about every major news outlet in the United States (save, it should be noted, from fellow casino owner and GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Review-Journal, which called him “a source of disruption and discomfort to the privileged“).

This week, however, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow pointed out that Trump has, in fact, received a second significant press endorsement, this time in the pages of The Crusader, the quarterly journal for none other than the Ku Klux Klan.

As Maddow noted on the October 31 broadcast, the latest issue of the Crusader features an A1, above-the-fold endorsement of Trump as someone who is “moving the dialogue forward.” It’s right there, next to articles about “the threat of nonwhite immigration,” and Jewish terrorists.

What’s more, Maddow reported, these papers are being dropped off on the doorsteps of people’s homes in Cartersville, Georgia, if not elsewhere, as well. Yes, a friendly message from your neighborhood Klansmen, delivered right to your front door. How charming.

To add another layer of craziness to this whole thing, right there on page 10 of the Crusader is a photograph taken from a Saturday Night Live sketch about how much Nazis and racists love Trump.

Here’s the sketch, for reference.

It’s life imitating art imitating a horrific national nightmare.

This is not the first time the KKK has come out in favor of Trump’s presidential run. Former Klan leader David Duke has been shouting his support of the Republican nominee’s candidacy to anyone who will listen for months now, and the current Imperial Wizard of the Klan reportedly told WWBT that “the reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes in, we believe in. We want our country to be safe.”

So good job, U.S.A. You’ve nominated the only candidate on Earth who could secure the endorsements of both an ultra-hawkish pro-Israel billionaire and racist white nationalists. Pat yourselves on the back. You’ve truly made America great again.

UPDATE: In response to the endorsement, Steven Cheung, Director of Rapid Response for the Trump campaign, emailed me the following statement:

Mr. Trump and the campaign denounces hate in any form. This publication is repulsive and their views do not represent the tens of millions of Americans who are uniting behind our campaign.