A far-right publishing home that publishes the works of historic and modern fascists is internet hosting a “Coronation Ball” on the Watergate Resort in Washington, D.C., to have fun Donald Trump’s second inauguration, that includes a visitor record that’s a veritable who’s-who of MAGA influencers and so-called New Proper luminaries.
Passage Press will throw the confab within the Watergate Resort’s Moretti Ballroom on the night of Jan. 19, the night time earlier than Trump will likely be inaugurated because the forty seventh president of the U.S., in response to an occasions web page on the publishing home’s web site.
That the occasion’s title refers to Trump’s inauguration as a “coronation” — a phrase usually reserved for the crowning of kings and queens in monarchies — underscores the anti-democratic, authoritarian nature of the black-tie soiree.
“Have fun the inauguration of Donald John Trump,” Passage Press tweeted Monday, the four-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol. “Be there as NRX is launched to the MAGA mind belief. Be there as MAGA meets the Tech Proper.”
“NRX” stands for “neoreactionary” and is used as a shorthand for “the Darkish Enlightenment,” a far-right movement whose adherents are sometimes as specific of their distaste for democracy as they’re of their reverence for fascism and monarchism.
One in all Passage Press’ largest authors is Darkish Enlightenment figurehead Curtis Yarvin. The previous Silicon Valley programmer blogged for years underneath the pen identify “Mencius Moldbug” earlier than rising as a sort of court docket thinker for reactionary tech billionaires and distinguished MAGA movers and shakers (together with Vice President-elect JD Vance).
Yarvin has advocated for a “nationwide CEO, [or] what’s referred to as a dictator” to be in control of America. He’s scheduled to attend the Coronation Ball, in response to a put up from Passage Press, as are Jack Posobiec, Mike Cernovich, Christopher Rufo, Steve Bannon, Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova.
The publishing home later deleted its tweet itemizing the Coronation Ball’s “confirmed attendees.”
Motels, significantly within the Washington space, have a history of canceling or refusing to host gatherings for white supremacists or different bigots.
Reached for remark about internet hosting a celebration whose organizers and distinguished attendees have espoused fascist views, the Watergate Resort — housed in the identical constructing the place former President Richard Nixon’s lackeys broke into the Democratic Nationwide Committee’s headquarters in 1972, precipitating Nixon’s resignation — despatched HuffPost the next assertion:
“The Watergate Resort prides itself on being a luxurious vacation spot that displays the values of inclusivity and respect. As a resort with a long-standing fame for excellence, we prioritize the security, consolation, and dignity of our company and our devoted crew of staff.”
What we find out about Passage Press comes largely from a remarkable Guardian exposé printed by journalist Jason Wilson final yr. Within the piece, he unmasked the top of the corporate, a far-right influencer who glided by the identify “L0m3z,” as Jonathan Keeperman, a former English lecturer on the College of California, Irvine.
As “L0m3z,” Keeperman accrued a following on X, the place he presently has 95,000 followers, partially by posting invective directed at anti-racist protesters, queer individuals and journalists. He expressed assist for Kyle Rittenhouse, the armed teenager who fatally shot two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020, writing, “Might 1,000,000 Kyle Rittenhouses bloom.”
He additionally wrote the he was “coming round to the concept essentially the most highly effective and efficient political argument in opposition to the left in 2020 might be easy as: shut up fag.”
And Keeperman as soon as appeared to advocate the mass execution of journalists. “The press are actually the enemy,” he tweeted. “They’re mewling midwit scum. Sniveling liars and determined standing junkies. My abiding contempt for them is barely ever confirmed.” As Wilson reported, Keeperman additionally posted a listing of “coverage proposals” that included the phrase “lamppost the journos” — an obvious name to kill reporters by hanging them.
Keeperman and Passage Press didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark about these statements, nor did they reply to questions looking for additional particulars in regards to the Coronation Ball.
Beneath Keeperman’s management, Passage Press has reprinted “out-of-print or public-domain books by historic fascist and reactionary writers,” Wilson wrote, together with works “by radical German nationalist and militarist Ernst Jünger; Peter Kemp, who fought as a volunteer in Francisco Franco’s military throughout the Spanish civil struggle; and two counter-revolutionary Russian aristocrats, White Russian normal Pyotr Wrangel and Prince Serge Obolensky.”
Passage Press’ modern authors embody Steve Sailer, a blogger for the white supremacist website VDARE. Sailer has written that Black individuals “are inclined to possess poorer native judgment than members of better-educated teams” and “want stricter ethical steerage from society.” Sailer’s e book for Passage Press, Noticing, is an anthology of his musings on, amongst different topics, “human biodiversity,” the popular white supremacist nomenclature for eugenics and so-called race science. (Former Fox Information host Tucker Carlson provided a fawning blurb for the e book, writing that “if the meritocracy had been actual, Steve Sailer could be one of the crucial well-known writers on the planet.”)
Passage Press additionally publishes {a magazine} referred to as Man’s World, which is edited and run by the pseudonymous misogynist “Uncooked Egg Nationalist.” Within the Fox Nation documentary “The Finish of Males,” hosted by Carlson, Uncooked Egg Nationalist argued that “globalists” had been manipulating meals provides to decrease testosterone ranges and emasculate males. Earlier than working with Passage Press, Uncooked Egg Nationalist printed books with Antelope Hill, a neo-Nazi publishing house based mostly in Pennsylvania.
Keeperman has additionally shaped relationships with main figures within the MAGA motion, together with Rufo, a fellow on the main conservative suppose tank the Manhattan Institute and shut ally of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Republican governor is identified for fanning the flames of concern surrounding “vital race principle” and “trans ideology,” which right-wing figures like Rufo declare are being taught in America’s faculties.
After Trump’s election victory in November, Rufo claimed he was set to satisfy with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago to pitch him on coverage proposals.
Rufo is listed as an attendee of the Coronation Ball, in response to a tweet from Passage Press, however didn’t instantly reply to a request to verify his attendance.
Rufo, Yarvin and Keeperman are sometimes thought of a part of the New Proper, a rebranding of acquainted counter-revolutionary and anti-democratic politics. It’s the identical ideology that animated the “alt-right,” the white supremacist motion that exploded into the general public consciousness for its shut relationship to the 2016 Trump marketing campaign, solely to break down within the wake of its lethal and disastrous “Unite The Proper” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Coronation Ball hearkens again to 2 alt-right gatherings in Washington D.C. celebrating Trump’s election win. In November 2016, town hosted a conference held by the now-defunct Nationwide Coverage Institute, the fascist group helmed by suit-and-tie neo-Nazi Richard Spencer. Spencer completed his speech by declaring “Hail Victory!” — the English translation of the Nazi cry “Sieg Heil” — and “Hail Trump!” A viral video from the occasion captured Spencer’s supporters throwing up the stiff-armed Nazi salute in response.
There was additionally the Deploraball occasion in January 2017, on the eve of Trump’s first inauguration, attended by a slew of conspiracy theorists and bigots, together with the anti-Muslim activist Pamela Gellar; Gavin McInnes, the founding father of the violent fascist road gang the Proud Boys; white nationalist Lauren Southern; Jim Hoft, founding father of the misinformation-heavy information website Gateway Pundit; Cernovich, a pundit and date rape denier; and Posobiec, a conspiracist with an extended historical past of associating with extremists.
Cernovic and Posobiec are each scheduled to look at this month’s Coronation Ball, in response to a tweet from Passage Press. In addition they each confirmed that they’d attend in posts on X.
Posobiec’s path from PizzaGate influencer to fancy Watergate gala attendee is consultant of how Trump’s ascent in politics has catapulted a coterie of once-fringe media figures into highly effective positions in American politics.
He received his begin as a “Sport of Thrones” blogger earlier than pivoting to selling a number of far-right conspiracy theories, all whereas creating extensive ties to white supremacists and publicly posting racist and antisemitic messages on-line.
Posobiec however grew to become a MAGA star and a distinguished pro-Trump propagandist, showing commonly on Fox Information and on the Conservative Political Motion Convention, amongst different boards. Final yr he printed the e book “Unhumans: The Secret Historical past Of Communist Revolutions (And How To Crush Them),” by which he argues that People with left-of-center views are subhuman whereas praising the violent fascistic regimes of Franco in Spain and Augusto Pinochet in Chile. (Vance offered a blurb for the e book.)
“President Donald J. Trump is ready within the wings,” Posobiec said whereas selling ”Unhumans” on the Nationwide Conservatism Convention final yr. “And when he assumes workplace once more, let me inform you, the globalists and their whole regime will likely be smashed to items and scattered to the winds.”
He then added: “We don’t negotiate with unhumans as a result of that’s the stakes of this — humanity versus unhuman; populist nationalist versus atheistic Marxist; energy, magnificence and genius versus weak point, ugliness and stupidity; civilization versus barbarism; crime and chaos versus regulation.”
Different anticipated company on the Coronation Ball, per Passage Press, embody Joshua Lisec, a ghostwriter for right-wing influencers and a co-author with Posobiec of ”Unhumans.”
Steve Bannon is ready to attend, too, in response to Passage Press. He cofounded Breitbart, which he referred to as the “platform for the alt-right,” earlier than operating Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign and later serving in Trump’s White Home. Bannon was just lately launched from jail after serving 4 months for refusing to adjust to a congressional subpoena from the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol. He’s presently the host of the favored ”Struggle Room” podcast. Bannon didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark about whether or not he would attend the Coronation Ball, however his Struggle Room co-host, Natalie Winters, tweeted that she will likely be on the occasion.
Two different widespread podcasters, Khachiyan and Nekrasova, hosts of “Pink Scare,” are additionally scheduled to attend the Coronation Ball, in response to Passage Press. Khachiyan and Nekrasova began the podcast years in the past as a nominally left, socialist program, however finally emerged as apostles of the New Proper, cozying up to Yarvin and far-right tech billionaire Peter Thiel, together with the kind of conspiracy theorist they used to skewer — InfoWars’ Alex Jones. Neither Khachiyan or Nekrasova instantly responded to a request for remark.
Grimes, the well-known musician and ex-wife of Elon Musk — the world’s richest man and a detailed Trump ally, presently on a marketing campaign of embracing Europe’s most excessive right-wing and fascist political events — was listed by Passage Press as a “confirmed attendee,” however a consultant advised HuffPost she is not going to be in attendance.
Additionally listed as an attendee is Jeremy Carl, a fellow on the Claremont Institute, the influential MAGA suppose tank. Carl is the writer of the e book ”The Unprotected Class,” which ludicrously asserts that “anti-white racism is essentially the most predominant and politically highly effective type of racism in America at this time.” Carl didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
On Tuesday morning, Passage Press tweeted that the Coronation Ball was bought out. That tweet was deleted Tuesday afternoon, across the similar time the ticket value for the occasion on the Passage Press web site shot up from $250 to $875.
