James Fishback mingles with ‘Heil Hitler’ influencers during Miami campaign swing

James Fishback visited Miami this week to promote his gubernatorial campaign, strolling city sidewalks and podcasting with antisemitic influencers Sneako and Myron Gaines, who made headlines for requesting and partying to Ye’s “Heil Hitler” in a Miami Beach nightclub last month.

In a one-hour video posted to YouTube, Fishback walked around downtown Miami with Sneako (real name Nico Kenn De Balinthazy), an internet influencer who has faced bans from YouTube and Twitch for spreading homophobic, misogynistic and antisemitic rhetoric.

After they use a crosswalk without waiting for the go-ahead signal, Fishback said, “The headline will read tomorrow, ‘Florida gubernatorial candidate breaks the law with Hitler sympathizer.’”

Sneako took the quip as a reference to TV host Piers Morgan’s recent description of his Miami Beach stunt as “Hitler-celebrating bullshit.”

“That’s what Piers Morgan was calling me, ‘He’s a Hitler lover.’ It’s like, the guy’s dead. There’s no Nazi Party. I’m not a Nazi. It doesn’t exist. It’s over,” he said. “You can’t listen to a song, James.”

“It’s crazy,” Fishback said, before asking Sneako to name his top three Ye songs.

Later, Sneako said he received confirmation that White supremacist, Holocaust denying streamer Nick Fuentes has endorsed Fishback for Governor.

“Oh gee, that’ll really help,” Fishback joked, prompting Sneako to joke that Fuentes is instead supporting U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who leads Fishback in the Republican Primary in almost every poll.

Fishback, grinning, corrects Sneako’s pronunciation, calling Donalds “By’rone,” one of numerous, thinly veiled racist remarks he’s thrown the Black Congressman’s way. He has also called Donalds a “slave” to his donors and a “token Black” lawmaker who wants to turn Florida into a “Section 8 ghetto.”

In January, videos spread online of Sneako, Fuentes, Gaines and fellow “manosphere” figures Andrew Tate, Tristan Tate and Clavicular dancing and singing along to West’s song at the Vendôme nightclub, prompting widespread backlash. Other videos show them continuing to sing the song in a car while Gaines (real name Amrou Fudl) performed a Nazi salute.

Fishback, who appeared to have no problem pronouncing Gaines’ chosen first name despite its similarity to Donalds’, was the featured guest Thursday on Gaines’ podcast, “Fresh and Fit.”

Gaines, too, has more than dabbled in antisemitism, racism and misogyny. He is the author of “Why Women Deserve Less,” which he has described as being about “the ways in which women are benefiting unfairly at nearly every man’s expense.”

His show, in turn, also features antisemitic content, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and regularly demeans women guests.

Gaines has declared that Adolf Hitler “was right” about Jews, who he said “come to a country (and) push pornography.” After a leaked group chat of Young Republicans operatives showed members praising Hitler, Gaines fired back on X, “Yeah we like Hitler. No one gives a fuck what you woke jews think anymore. Bro was a revolutionary leader and saved germany.”

Fishback, appearing on the show surrounded by OnlyFans content creators, explained he was there because he wants to “show up where voters least expect me,” calling CNN and The New York Times “fake news.”

Later in the show, an audience member asked Fishback whether he would rather “Sell out to Israel or marry one of” the show’s women guests “without a prenup.” That prompted co-host Walter Weekes to ask Fishback if he’d “kiss the wall,” referring to Israel’s Western Wall, a holy Jewish prayer site also revered by Christians.

During a campaign stop earlier this month at the University of Central Florida, Fishback denounced politicians who “visit another country” and kiss “a stupid wall,” a clear reference to the Western Wall.

“I’m not kissing the wall under any other circumstances,” he said during the podcast. “I know Myron isn’t going to kiss the wall either.”

In recent months, reporting revealed Fishback’s former fiancé accused him in court of dating her while she was underage, then harassing her after they broke up. Fishback called the accusation “absolutely false.” In December, Florida Politics reported he is registered to vote in two states, potentially complicating his Governor’s bid.

Last month, a Judge ordered Fishback to turn over $229,000 in stock certificates from his investment firm to his former employer, Greenlight Capital, as repayment for funds the company says he owes it. Fishback later said he would refuse to pay the money.

Polling this year from Mason-Dixon and Fabrizio Lee & Associates show Donalds leading the Republican Primary, with at least a fivefold advantage over his closest competitor. Mason-Dixon has Donalds at 37% support, compared to 7% for Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, 4% for former House Speaker Paul Renner and 3% for Fishback. Fabrizio Lee & Associates has Donalds at 47%, with Fishback trailing in a distant second with 5% support.

Patriot Polling, a conservative survey firm that queried likely voters through late January, found Donalds with 37% support compared to 23% for Fishback. Among voters 18-29, Fishback had a 5-percentage-point lead over Donalds in the poll.

Florida Politics contacted Fishback for comment on this story but did not receive a response by press time.