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President Donald Trump was preaching to his choir at a recent speech for a convention of young Conservatives—but he may have gotten too comfortable.
In a rambling speech for Turning Point USA, Trump addressed everything from his usual talking points of economy and regulations to freedom of expression on college campuses to his recent pattern of attacking four Democratic congresswomen of color colloquially known as "The Squad."
Among them is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), known to supporters and detractors alike as AOC, and as Trump was referencing her, people noticed Trump make a disturbing hand gesture.
See if you can spot it below:
Either trump just made a 3 pointer or he's blatantly giving the white power hand gesture.. I don't know, what do yo… https://t.co/PUajaVpKn5— Thomas Jimenez (@Thomas Jimenez) 1563907134.0
What was known in the days of innocence as the "Okay" symbol has now been co-opted as a "white power" symbol by the alt-right and other white supremacist Trump supporters.
Though people sometimes make the gesture innocuously, there's been a common pattern of the gesture's deliberate use by white supremacists and nationalists.
@imogensound @TrialLawyerRich "#Alabama police officers #Suspended for making hand gesture linked to white power." https://t.co/MjmISyoITO— Rex Doctor (@Rex Doctor) 1563903709.0
White supremacists in MAGA hats and flashing white power signs just showed up to show their support for Trump in Or… https://t.co/hSBoLYCXzo— Stone 🥶 (@Stone 🥶) 1560896298.0
It's not even the white power hand gesture that makes Proud Boys so f'ing gross, it's the face they make when flash… https://t.co/oVvNxNrKHj— Jeremy Newberger (@Jeremy Newberger) 1560892289.0
While the symbol's former meaning of "okay" grants a level of plausible deniability to its users, some feel that Trump was being deliberate here.
It’s a white power symbol, invoked by Trump as he mentions the name of a woman of colour. But hey, don’t worry: O… https://t.co/r4QJq4CBwD— Mehdi Hasan (@Mehdi Hasan) 1563936617.0
@atrupar Many of #Trump’s supporters won’t recognize the blatant use of the #whitepower gesture, but for those who… https://t.co/qRZUff7SA6— Cathy O'Neill (@Cathy O'Neill) 1563960044.0
@atrupar I mean. What else could this possibly mean? The @POTUS is a white supremacist.— Accidental Dread (@Accidental Dread) 1563946380.0
@atrupar ABSOLUTELY that was for his Nazi buddies since it was DELIBERATE hand up/symbol/hand down. That's not h… https://t.co/VzlnXCjdT6— FactsOrFables (@FactsOrFables) 1563965812.0
The organization Trump was speaking to—Turning Point USA—has had its own white supremacy problems in the past.
A video showing a Turning Point USA leader declaring "white power" while his compatriot spouts racial slurs is just… https://t.co/sPAZBPNwcJ— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1557540437.0
Woah, would you believe another Turning Point USA member used racial slurs in recently surfaced electronic communic… https://t.co/JqyIUpRpSY— Charlie J. Johnson (@Charlie J. Johnson) 1558607722.0
@realDonaldTrump In December 2017, former employees of Turning Point USA accused it of engaging in racist practices… https://t.co/Nmhx6YstZj— Lulu 🐝🦖 (@Lulu 🐝🦖) 1563894411.0
Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has yet to respond to the signal itself, though she continues to speak out against Trump's racist rhetoric.