Cornel West Is an Ally to Right-Wing Republicans

While Cornel West has been an important intellectual voice in the past, he has a long history of undermining Democrats and allying with Republicans, including prominent right-wing activists who oppose abortion and LGBTQ rights. Cornel West has vilified prominent Democrats – calling President Barack Obama a “Republican in black face” and a “brown-faced Clinton.” West’s spoiler candidacy has even drawn praise from Donald Trump for its potential to hurt Democrats and help Republicans.
 

• Cornel West has received campaign donations from a prominent Republican megadonor known for lavishing conservative Supreme Court Justice with luxury, all-expenses-paid vacations.
• Cornel West is a close ally of prominent anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ activists and a Project 2025 board member. 
• Cornel West has praised right-wing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his discriminatory education policies that call for replacing the SAT with a statewide Christian-based test.
• Cornel West vilified President Barack Obama calling him a “Rockefeller Republican in black face” and a “brown-faced Clinton.”

More:

Right-Wing Ally

• Cornel West is a close ally of American Principles Project co-founder and Project 2025 advisory board member Robert George – a prominent anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ activist.
  • West has long been friends with George and has participated in joint media appearances on Fox News with the right-wing activist.
• Cornel West received campaign donations from prominent Republican donor Harlan Crow and defended “Brother Harlan” as he was shamed into returning the donation.
  • Harlan Crow is a right-wing megadonor known best for lavishing conservative Supreme Court Justices with luxury, all-expenses-paid vacations.
  • Crow is also a prominent collector of Nazi artifacts and memorabilia.
• Just last year, Cornel West penned an opinion piece in support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ discriminatory education policies, including a state-wide Christian-based test to replace the SAT.
• West has repeatedly joined prominent Republican and right-wing figures in decrying “cancel culture.”
• Cornel West’s personal financial disclosure shows that he has received speaking fees from PECO Energy Company, a company involved in natural gas extraction and routinely fails to adopt renewable energy sources. 

Democratic Party Detractor

• Donald Trump praised Cornel West at a rally in Pennsylvania: “Cornel West—he’s one of my favorite candidates. I like her also—Jill Stein. You know why? She takes 100% from them. He takes 100%. Kennedy—probably 50-50.” 
• Cornel West has long supported third-party candidates that have pulled votes from Democrats. 
  • In 2016, West endorsed Jill Stein’s candidacy that helped defeat Hillary Clinton and usher Donald Trump into office.
  • In 2000, West endorsed Ralph Nader’s run that helped throw the election to George W. Bush – sealing then-Vice President Al Gore’s defeat.
• Cornel West was a public critic of President Barack Obama – calling him a “Rockefeller Republican in black face” and a “brown-faced Clinton.”
• Cornel West even went as far as to call Obama a “counterfeit” and “war criminal.”
• Cornel West led efforts to mount a primary challenge to then-President Obama in 2011.

Big Red Flags

• Cornel West echoes Vladimir Putin’s talking points by insisting that NATO provoked an invasion of Ukraine by Russia and calls for disbanding NATO.

Over the years, Cornel West has engaged in antisemitic tropes and 9/11 conspiracy theories.