America's Nation of Islam Leader Praises Donald Trump

GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has been getting love from all the wrong places. Most recently, the Donald was praised by none other than America’s Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan.

The Nation of Islam (NOI) is an African-American Muslim organisation founded in 1930, and is perceived by many as a hate group for its controversial views, which have often been described as racist and anti-Semitic. The organisation was also accused of black supremacy. NOI is most commonly known for having been represented by human rights activist Malcolm X, who was later excommunicated for his opposing views. Three NOI members were then convicted of assassinating Malcolm X in 1966.

Farrakhan praised Trump during a sermon in Chicago for not taking money from the “Jewish community,” according to The Hill.

“Any time a man can say to those who control the politics of America, ‘I don’t want your money,’ that means you can’t control me. And they cannot afford to give up control of the presidents of the United States,” Farrakhan explained, before going into damage control mode: “Not that I’m for Mr. Trump, but I like what I’m looking at.”

Farrakhan's comments are particularly interesting in light of Trump's Islamophobic views; in December of 2015, the Republican presidential candidate called on the US government to prevent Muslim immigration to the US. 

This is not the first time Trump has been hailed by abhorrent racists; the presidential contender was endorsed by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, as well as former far-right leader of French political party Front National, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who once said that the Nazi occupation of France wasn’t “particularly inhumane,” and that Ebola could solve Europe’s “immigration problem.”