White Nationalist Richard Spencer Votes for Joe Biden: 'To Hell With Libertarian Ideology'

White nationalist Richard Spencer voted for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to a Tuesday photo on Spencer's Twitter feed.

Spencer, who popularized the descriptive term "alt-right," voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. After the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, Spencer withdrew his support for Trump. In 2020, Spencer said that the GOP had become "ineffective" and declared his support for Biden. Based on Spencer's past views, Biden's campaign rejected Spencer's support of the candidate. That did not stop Spencer from voting for the Democratic ticket on Tuesday.

"I voted straight Dem," Spencer wrote. "In referenda, I also voted FOR the expansion of gun rights in the state and AGAINST the expansion of marijuana legalization. To hell with libertarian ideology. I'm a libertarian when I want to be."

Newsweek reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.

In August, Spencer said that he was planning on voting Democratic because "the liberals are clearly more competent people."

Biden's campaign manager, Andrew Bates, lambasted Spencer on Twitter.

"When Joe Biden says we are in a battle for the soul of our nation against vile forces of hate who have come crawling out from under rocks, you are the epitome of what he means," Bates said in an August tweet. "What you stand for is absolutely repugnant. Your support is 10,000% unwelcome here."

Trump's election in 2016 was welcomed by many members of the alt-right community, including Spencer. Video of Spencer praising Trump at a meeting of white supremacists in 2016 went viral. Spencer became a target for those who disagreed with his ideals. In a 2017 incident that was captured on video, Spencer was punched in the face in Washington D.C. following Trump's inauguration. Spencer referred to the incident as "occurring in the most cowardly fashion possible."

After the killing of Soleimani by the U.S. military, Spencer distanced himself from the Republican Party and appeared to apologize to Iran for the action.

"After our traitorous elite is brought to justice," Spencer tweeted in January, "we hope to achieve peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness."

Spencer declared his full support of Biden in August by tweeting "I'm on Team Joe."

"The MAGA/Alt-Right moment is over," Spencer added. "I made mistakes; Trump is an obvious disaster, but mainly the paradigm contained flaws that we now are able to perceive. And it needs to end."

Trump has offered mixed messages to the public regarding his view of white supremacists. After a clash between protesters at a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 which resulted in the death of a counterprotester, Trump told reporters that there were "very fine people on both sides" of the demonstrations.

He later clarified his position during a press opportunity in August 2017. "Racism is evil," Trump said, "and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans."