NASHVILLE – An Ocoee, Tenn., congressional candidate, who has ignited a furor with a billboard that says “Make America White Again,” says he hopes to awaken a white “sleeping giant” in the country.
Rick Tyler, a primary owner of the Whitewater Grill who is running as an independent in Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District, is drawing intense criticism over the sign, located near U.S. Highway 411. He says it was taken down early Wednesday without his authorization.
This WRCB photo shows Rick Tyler’s campaign sign off Highway 411 in Polk County.
A billboard which formerly featured a campaign sign for congressional candidate Rick Tyler that read “Make America White Again” is seen on Hwy. 411 on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Polk County, Tenn.He also has a second billboard on U.S. Highway 64 in Polk County. It features Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” quote.
It’s backdrop is a rendering of the White House surrounded by Confederate flags.
Tyler in an interview described himself as “an insurgent candidate.