--- description: A man punched white nationalist Richard Spencer in the face in Washington Friday following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. title: White Nationalist Richard Spencer Gets Punched During an Interview image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta93485e97c454a71/6988b68097cdffa6606af2ff/richard-spencer.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Race](/tag/race/) ## Race Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # White Nationalist Richard Spencer Gets Punched During an Interview by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 21, 2017 2:45 AM CUT  Richard Spencer, a leader in the "alt-right" that mixes racism, white nationalism and populism, posing for a portrait in College Station, Tx., on Dec. 6, 2016. Richard Spencer, a leader in the "alt-right" that mixes racism, white nationalism and populism, posing for a portrait in College Station, Tx., on Dec. 6, 2016.David J. Phillip—AP by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 21, 2017 2:45 AM CUT A hooded man punched white nationalist [Richard Spencer](http://time.com/4592947/students-protest-white-nationalist-richard-spencer-texas-am/ "undefined") in the face in downtown Washington D.C. Friday following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. At the time Spencer [said](https://twitter.com/RichardBSpencer/status/822571322819641344 "undefined") he was with two filmmakers who are making a documentary on him. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said he was also [talking to their Washington bureau chief](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-21/richard-spencer-national-policy-institute-punched-abc-interview/8200270 "undefined"). Spencer was ringed by a handful of protesters and bystanders and arguing that left-wing protests had become more intense. “I’ve given conferences for ages,” he says, “and we’ll usually expect some protesters. They’ll do Silly String or something like that.” He then adds “We’ve entered this new world where the leftist protesters…” but is interrupted by an onlooker who asks him if he is a neo-Nazi, which Spencer denies. From off camera, a female voice asks him “Would you marry a black woman?” Spencer does not answer. An attacker then lands a punch on the right side of Spencer’s face before running off. Spencer reels down the pavement but maintains his balance. The attack [reportedly took place](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/20/white-nationalist-richard-spencer-punched-during-dc-protests/96859496/ "undefined") at 2:30pm at the corner of 14th and K Streets. After the assault, Spencer posted [a live video on Twitter](https://twitter.com/RichardBSpencer/status/822571322819641344 "undefined"), denouncing it as “serious,” “terrible,” and “occurring in the most cowardly fashion possible.” Spencer became infamous last November, after a video showed him shouting “Heil Trump” and [quoting Nazi propaganda](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/richard-spencer-speech-npi/508379/ "undefined") in German during an anti-Semitic speech at a white nationalist conference in Washington D.C., held to celebrate Donald Trump’s electoral victory. Watch the attack on Spencer above. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4642117/richard-spencer-punched-white-nationalist-nazi-trump-inauguration/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4642117/richard-spencer-punched-white-nationalist-nazi-trump-inauguration/"},"headline":"White Nationalist Richard Spencer Gets Punched During an Interview","datePublished":"2017-01-21T02:45:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:51:12.983Z","description":"The assailant then runs off, leaving Spencer reeling down the pavement","url":"https://time.com/4642117/richard-spencer-punched-white-nationalist-nazi-trump-inauguration/","keywords":["Race","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta93485e97c454a71/6988b68097cdffa6606af2ff/richard-spencer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta93485e97c454a71/6988b68097cdffa6606af2ff/richard-spencer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Richard Spencer","caption":"Richard Spencer, a leader in the \"alt-right\" that mixes racism, white nationalism and populism, poses between interviews Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in College Station, Texas. 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