Trump campaign taps California white supremacist to serve as delegate

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump selected the head of a white nationalist group to be a delegate of his in California, Mother Jones reported.

"I just hope to show how I can be mainstream and have these views," said American Freedom Party head William Johnson. "I can be a white nationalist and be a strong supporter of Donald Trump and be a good example to everybody."

This story has been updated.

Johnson, whose group says it "exists to represent the political interests of White Americans," said he did not specifically use the term "white nationalist" while applying to be a delegate for the presumptive Republican front-runner.

His organization paid for a robocall on behalf of Trump earlier in the primary that stated, "The white race is dying out in America and Europe because we are afraid to be called 'racist.'" The call also urged voters, "Don't vote for a Cuban. Vote for Donald Trump."

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Johnson's party "attempts to appeal to a perhaps more independent or Libertarian demographic" by touting concerns over the economy, government surveillance and other mainstream political issues.

Update, 6:30 p.m. EST:Talking Points Memo reported that Trump's campaign blamed a "database error" for Johnson being on the delegate list, and that he had already been rejected as a potential delegate.