Mike Huckabee once portrayed himself as an affable centrist Republican, a man who loved people and loved playing his guitar. An ordained Baptist minister who would minister to the nation. He used all that to serve as the Republican governor of Arkansas for nine years, and run for president twice.

That was all a lie, a cover, a smokescreen. A mask.

Mike Huckabee is a racist.

It should come as little surprise. His daughter is the White House press secretary under President Donald Trump. She has a record of supporting Trump’s polices and a record of lying to reporters on a regular basis.

Today, Mike Huckabee is under fire after he posted a vile and offensive tweet. It shows an image of young, shirtless teen boys with tattoos. The image has appeared on dozens of websites, and a Google image search titles it as “ms 13 gang sign.”

MS-13 is President Trump’s “favorite” anti-immigrant tool, a dangerous gang he portrays as Central American, but it was formed on the streets of Los Angeles.

Huckabee had a different title than Google for the photo: “Nancy Pelosi introduces her campaign committee for the take back of the House.”

Nancy Pelosi introduces her campaign committee for the take back of the House. pic.twitter.com/yKDhkVubck

— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) June 23, 2018

It’s clear, unadulterated racism.

And many on social media berated the former Arkansas governor.

Take a look at some of the responses:

I know we're cautioned to go easy on the Nazi parallels, but this is too clear an example.

This is no different from a Nazi-era cartoon of criminal Jews.

Huckabee should be ostracized and ashamed. https://t.co/lmMzU75XKP

— Adam Davidson (@adamdavidson) June 23, 2018

This is racist.

This is fascism. https://t.co/mbWPkObJ57

— Robert Rutledge (@rerutled) June 23, 2018

And he wonders why a restaurant kicked his pathological, propagandist @PressSec daughter out. Go buy a straights only cake and eat it at a whites only restaurant with a side of Chick Fil A. #TrumpsAmeriKKKa https://t.co/mHDCZcGsdH

— Lesley Abravanel (@lesleyabravanel) June 23, 2018

I sure hope the Hell you believe in exists, @GovMikeHuckabee.

P.S. No one with any sense was under the impression that you weren't an ignorant, racist fraud—but thanks for the confirmation. https://t.co/dF7RzSHFIW

— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) June 23, 2018

Remember immigrants, both legal and undocumented, commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans.

The reason people are pointing out that Huckabee's tweet is racist is because he's feeding a narrative about a particular group of immigrants that has no basis in fact. https://t.co/ehHpvnaiOZ

— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) June 23, 2018

Reactions to this @GovMikeHuckabee dog whistle:
Normal people: He once seemed a decent man. This is sick.
Trump rationalizers: a) c'mon, lighten up, b) liberals are tasteless too, & c) you know, Pelosi really is soft on crime.
Elected Republicans: Tax cuts.
The dogs: Woof! Woof! https://t.co/d6C2Akp8T3

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 23, 2018

Blood libel all the way. Remember when Huckabee used to get favorable press as a folksy, likable guy? https://t.co/T9aLnEqjWM

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) June 23, 2018

You're beneath contempt. https://t.co/xgqxTf4f9s

— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) June 23, 2018

All the subtlety of a Klan hood. https://t.co/cHmzDConMG

— ana marie cox (@anamariecox) June 23, 2018

Attaboy, Mikey. Keep showing us who you and your ilk are. Seeing this — realizing that you have no idea why you should not have posted this — helps me understand how we now have Sarah. #LordHelpUsAll https://t.co/AOi2XYpXYv

— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) June 23, 2018

When a Southern White Preacher Man feels free to be openly racist AF in public.

THAT's what Trump meant last night when he talked about making America "safe" for Americans.

That's exactly what he meant, right there. https://t.co/JCmAKtFpTr

— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) June 23, 2018

Mike Huckabee shows again what an unrepentant, virulent racist he is. https://t.co/RQMUFQKd56

— Tim Williams (@timwilliamsart) June 23, 2018

This tweet is not “racially charged”.

It’s not “racially divisive”.

It's not “racialist”, or “sparking racial controversy.”

This tweet is straight up racist and the media should call it so. https://t.co/RAaMQFt6sY

— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) June 23, 2018

I see where your daughter gets her liar. https://t.co/4mATYO1kAc

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) June 23, 2018

I see where your daughter gets her liar. https://t.co/4mATYO1kAc

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) June 23, 2018

Christian love strikes again. https://t.co/Afr975jwuU

— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) June 23, 2018

In case you like a nice helping of racism with your Fruit Loops, @GovMikeHuckabee delivers. He's like the Uber Eats of bigotry. https://t.co/swzT4X8llM

— Daylin Leach (@daylinleach) June 23, 2018

So damn tacky. Conservative evangelicals definitely need quality control these days. https://t.co/yqys3NxWDQ

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) June 23, 2018

What would Jesus do?

Not be a racist asshole. @GovMikeHuckabee https://t.co/I4z1J2MyqD

— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) June 23, 2018

You white nationalist, fear mongering prick. https://t.co/IxuDZORqVT

— Hassan Ahmad (@HMAesq) June 23, 2018

No shock that this is the father of @PressSec … neither one of them have souls, both of them are liars, both of them support injustice & cruelty, neither of them have a whit of compassion & neither of them gives a second thought that they are laying the groundwork for genocide. https://t.co/ROGnfsxqF8

— Jodi Jacobson (@jljacobson) June 23, 2018