The United States bombed underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran over the weekend, raising the specter of the U.S. plunging into yet another war in the Middle East. And President Donald Trump’s far-right fanboys have three words for the man they have long proclaimed is the only leader fit to run the country.
“Fuck this shit,” a message from the Proud Boys Telegram account said Saturday.
The missive appeared above a screengrab of the president’s boasting on Truth Social after the U.S. bombing of Fordow, Natanza and Esfahan concluded and American planes had exited Iranian airspace.
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Only a week ago, the Proud Boys, perhaps known best for their assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, signaled that if Trump got the U.S. involved in a conflict between Israel and Iran, he would lose their support. Going to “war for Israel” wasn’t what Proud Boys signed up for when they voted for Trump last November, they said.
After the bombings, the vitriol was high.
One post on the Proud Boys Telegram appeared to compare Trump on the campaign trail versus Trump as president. An image of Trump on the campaign stump uses his official portrait. But as president, the Proud Boys used an image of Trump that appears to compare him to someone who is developmentally disabled.
Insulting and degrading people — mostly women, immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community — is central to the group’s foundational belief system. (The group’s credo proclaims that “western” men created the modern world and they “refuse” to apologize for it.)
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
After Trump became president again in January, one of his first acts was to pardon rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The pardons were sweeping and indiscriminate, including everyone from misdemeanor offenders to individuals who committed felony assault against police.
Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, who was charged and convicted for his role in plotting the Jan. 6 attack after a monthslong trial, received his pardon in January. Tarrio was on track to serve 22 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down to any Jan. 6 defendant. With his newfound freedom, he was effusive with Trump while simultaneously vowing revenge against the officials who had prosecuted him.
Until last weekend, things seemed downright paradisiacal between the far-right group and Trump: In May, Tarrio met Trump briefly at Mar-a-Lago while both of them were dining at the Florida club. Tarrio had been invited by a club member, The New York Times reported, and as Trump passed by Tarrio, who was dining with his mother, they were introduced. Trump reportedly told Tarrio he believed the far right leader and other Jan. 6 defendants had been horribly mistreated.
