Nick Sandmann Puts on His MAGA Hat Again at RNC, Defies 'Cancel Culture'

Nicholas Sandmann, the MAGA-hat-wearing high school student who was defamed by the mainstream media at the March for Life in 2019, put on his famous hat again at the RNC, praising President Donald Trump for opposing “cancel culture.”

Sandmann, who sued CNN and the Washington Post for smearing him as a racist, when in fact he was attacked by radical left-wing activists, told his own story, in full, to a national audience. (CNN and the Post settled the lawsuits earlier this year.)

He recalled:

Being from Kentucky, the birth place of Abraham Lincoln, my classmates and I visited the Lincoln Memorial. I found myself face-to-face with Nathan Phillips and other professional protestors looking to turn me into the latest poster child showing why Trump is bad. While the media portrayed me as the aggressor with a “relentless smirk” on my face, in reality the video confirms I was standing with my hands behind my back and an awkward smile on my face that hid two thoughts. One, don’t do anything that might further agitate the man banging a drum in my face and two, trying to follow a family friend’s advice never to do anything to embarrass your family, your school, or your community.

Before I knew what was happening, it was over. One of Mr. Phillips fellow agitators yelled out “We got him!”, “It’s all right here on video” and We won Grandpa”. What I thought was a strange encounter, quickly developed into a major news story complete with video footage.

My life changed forever in that one moment. The full war machine of the mainstream media revved up into attack mode. They did so without ever researching the full video of the incident; without ever investigating Mr. Philips’ motives; or without ever asking me for my side of the story. And do you know why? Because the truth wasn’t important. Advancing their anti-Christian, anti-Conservative, anti-Donald Trump narrative was all that mattered. And if advancing their narrative ruined the reputation and future of a teenager from Covington, Kentucky…so be it. That will teach him not to wear a MAGA hat!

Sandmann then explained that he had been a victim of “cancel culture” — and that President Trump had stood up for him:

I learned that what was happening to me had a name. It was called being cancelled. As in annulled. As in revoked. As in made void.

Cancelled is what’s happening to people around this country who refuse to be silenced by the far left. Many are being fired, humiliated or even threatened. Often, the media is a willing participant.

But I wouldn’t be cancelled. I fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and won a personal victory. While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage.

I know President Trump hopes for that too. I’m proud to say that throughout my media nightmare I have had President Trump’s unwavering support.

Sandmann concluded: “And together, I believe we must all embrace our 1st Amendment rights and not hide in fear of the media, or from the tech companies or the outrage mob either.”

He then donned his famous MAGA hat: “And one more thing … let’s Make America Great Again!”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.