THE TRUMP BRAND (profanity alert):

If you are young, white, ambitious, and hoping to become a prominent conservative, openly declaring your racism seems like a way to hasten your ascent.

It's worked so far for Crystal Clanton, who back in 2017 briefly made headlines for a text stating, simply but emphatically, "I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. Like [****] them all...I hate blacks. End of story."

When that message and others like it she'd sent were made public, Clanton was in her fifth year as second-in-command at the right-wing campus group and hotbed of bigotry Turning Point USA; TPUSA head Charlie Kirk had previously called Clanton the organization's "best hire" and claimed that "Turning Point needs more Crystals; so does America." Her next stop was a highly visible media position with Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and "Stop the Steal" conspiracy theorist. This spring, Clanton will graduate from law school at George Mason University School and step into her most prestigious role yet, clerking for federal appeals court judge William Pryor.

Tweet   @brothersjudd