Cartoonist Ben Garrison has been disinvited from the White House Social Media Summit according to Politico Playbook. Garrison, who is often referred to as “alt-right,” has been widely condemned for creating cartoons often thought to have anti-Semitic and racist content. The Anti-Defamation League has said that Garrison is “known for cartoons with right-wing, anti-government and conspiratorial themes.”
President Trump set the Social Media Summit to address “opportunities and challenges of today’s online environment” according to White House spokesperson Judd Deere who further stated that the president “wants to engage directly with these digital leaders in a discussion on the power of social media.” A full list of invitees was not confirmed by the White House, but social media giants Facebook, Twitter, and Google all confirmed that they had not been invited.
Rumored guests include prominent conservative groups such as Turning Point USA, the Heritage Foundation, PragerU, and James O’Keefe of Project Veritas. The president has been outspoken in his criticism of social media for allegedly biased censorship that targets conservative voices.
Garrison confirmed that he was among the list of guests when he shared his invitation from the White House to Twitter on Friday saying, “Honored to be invited to the White House! Thank You Mr. President!”
Honored to be invited to the White House! Thank You Mr. President! @realDonaldTrump #SocialMediaSummit pic.twitter.com/8b6zIa2XN3
— GrrrGraphics Cartoons (@GrrrGraphics) July 5, 2019
Many voiced their concerns over Garrison’s invitation to the White House, citing past cartoons that included what they considered to be anti-Semitic imagery. The ADL said Garrison created a “blatantly anti-Semitic cartoon” which was widely shared upon news of Garrison’s inclusion in the summit.
Ben Garrison, who drew this cartoon, will be a guest at the White House on Thursday for the social media summit.
It’s important to note the name in the upper right hand corner. The Rothschilds have been the subject of Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories for centuries. pic.twitter.com/fgp4ZPn8GA
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) July 9, 2019
Though the White House had reportedly defended their choice to invite Garrison amid criticism, officials told Politico Playbook last night that Garrison was no longer invited.
