Patrick Howley, a racist, antisemitic, anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who uses his position at the National File to write glowing profiles of neo-Nazi organizations, was recently banned from Twitter after having used the platform to spread his bigoted views for years.
Following his ban, Howley appeared last Thursday on a program hosted by America First streamer Dalton Clodfelter, a follower of white nationalist Nick Fuentes who streams on Fuentes’ “anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-Black, antisemitic” platform.
During the stream, Howley discussed the controversy that erupted in April after he complained that there were too many Black people at the CMT Music Awards.
“Country music is different,” Howley said about the awards program. “It’s not Wakanda.”
Howley defended his comments, insisting that he was “making fun of the politicization of” the awards show and asserting that “if something sucks, I’m allowed to make fun of it.”
“The CMT Music Awards sucked,” Howley declared. “Making fun of that politicization is what we do, and it’s something that we should do. That’s why I’m glad that free speech is making a comeback and free speech is prevailing, and free speech is going to be ascendant because people should have the right to say whatever they want if it’s funny and if it’s righteous.”
Clodfelter then replied that he does not share Howley’s supposed reverence for free speech, saying that he is only a “free speech absolutist” because it benefits the far-right America First movement in the current political environment, but as soon as they gain political power, “I want to censor the opposition completely.”
“I am not a free speech absolutist,” Clodfelter said. “I think that once we’re in power, I want to censor the opposition completely.”
“Well, we’ll have that conversation when we’re in power, but there’s a phase one first,” Howley responded.
“Right now, in this moment, I’m 100 percent a free speech absolutist, but my mind is probably going to change once Nick Fuentes becomes president,” Clodfelter declared.
“I’m all for that,” Howley agreed. “I would vote for that.”
