Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin whipped up a social media firestorm on Friday after a tweet praising President Donald Trump included a phrase associated with the Neo-Nazi movement.
"Trump Gives Speech to the People of Poland, Says 14 Words That Leave Americans Stunned," Palin wrote, with a link to a story about the president's recent address in Warsaw. The article itself makes no mention of 14 words used by Trump.
Trump Gives Speech to the People of Poland, Says 14 Words That Leave Americans Stunned https://t.co/8iKHEQemn9— Sarah Palin (@Sarah Palin) 1499423405.0
But several Twitter users noted that "14 Words" is a phrase frequently employed by neo-Nazis:
Two options —Too ignorant to know "14 Words" is an extremely prominent white supremacist slogan —Knowlingly tweeted… https://t.co/zfRiCRUMEC— Ben Collins (@Ben Collins) 1499452398.0
@SarahPalinUSA So we're not even hiding it at this point, are we? There is no 14-word sentence or phrase in the lin… https://t.co/qC61PoIxvA— Mallory 🏳️🌈 (@Mallory 🏳️🌈) 1499452225.0
The conservative commentator's tweet also ignited a mix of anger and mockery:
Boy, @SarahPalinUSA, self-proclaimed Nazis are really loving your white supremacist tweet. You must be so proud.— Dennis Perkins (@Dennis Perkins) 1499454069.0
@SarahPalinUSA Very clever Sarah. Totally slipped that one by us Sarah. Nobody will notice Sarah. WINK WINK. oh b… https://t.co/wVHRoJeaVD— Daniel Benneworth-Gray (@Daniel Benneworth-Gray) 1499450986.0
Lol I see Sarah Palin accidentally used the airhorn instead of the dog-whistle— Patrick Claybon (@Patrick Claybon) 1499452921.0
@SarahPalinUSA Did Palin really just go full white supremacist?— Eric Strong (@Eric Strong) 1499452699.0
Looking forward to Sarah Palin's 88 tattoo.— Chris Hayes (@Chris Hayes) 1499452079.0
@SarahPalinUSA Fourteen Words, Sarah? Literal White Supremacy, Sarah? Come on. This can't be good for your brand— Ian Rickert-Dellios 🥕🥕🥕 (@Ian Rickert-Dellios 🥕🥕🥕) 1499452066.0
@SarahPalinUSA The hell is wrong with you?— Sarah, BS, JD, Esq., Etc. (@Sarah, BS, JD, Esq., Etc.) 1499453499.0
@SarahPalinUSA is ur skype handle WhiteGenocide1488— no (@no) 1499452509.0
@SarahPalinUSA This was either poorly worded or just stupid. Or both.— Ian 🎄 HOHOHOwers 🎅 (@Ian 🎄 HOHOHOwers 🎅) 1499452380.0
But others doubted that Palin intentionally tweeted out a racist message.
@doniamae @anildash Oh, absolutely. I'm just saying I think it's most likely that Palin has no clue what "14 words"… https://t.co/padNOu6b9Q— Billy Kelley (@Billy Kelley) 1499455361.0
I don't think the Palin '14 Words' tweet is racist, mainly because I doubt she's smart enough to use coded messaging.— Chris Berg (@Chris Berg) 1499455855.0
@ThunderJew1775 I don't think palin is smart enough to know the 14 words— mr doctor lawyer esquire (@mr doctor lawyer esquire) 1499455312.0
Conservative author Ann Coulter similarly raised some eyebrows earlier this year when she tweeted out the message "14!" Several neo-Nazi affiliated accounts took the message a sign of support, but Coulter later said the tweet was a reference to the days left in Barack Obama’s presidency.
