Conservative commentator Ann Coulter sent out a cryptic tweet Thursday morning that some white supremacists read as a reference to one of their most well-known slogans.
Coulter later insisted that the “14” was solely in reference to the days left in Barack Obama’s presidency, as some on Twitter had initially guessed.
But that’s is in 15 days. Not 14. Even the GOP agrees.
Unfortunately, 14 happens to be a popular reference for white supremacists.
That’s because the most popular slogan for white supremacists happens to be 14 words: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” The phrase is widely referred to as “14 Words” or “Fourteen Words” or just “14.” It was coined by David Lane, a member of the white supremacist terrorist group known as The Order.
Coulter’s “14!” was overwhelmingly answered with “88,” a reference to another one of Lane’s white supremacist terms. It stems from his “88 Precepts,” a list of statements on what he calls “natural law.”
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 88 is often used among neo-Nazis, because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet and 88 stands for “Heil Hitler.”
Well, regardless of whether it’s 14 or 15 days until Obama’s out of office, Ann Coulter sure knows how to rile people up ― even if it’s unintentional.
This story has been updated to include Coulter’s responses on Twitter.