--- title: White Nationalist Richard Spencer Gets Punched description: A man punched white nationalist Richard Spencer in the face in Washington Friday following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. canonical: https://time.com/4642117/richard-spencer-punched-white-nationalist-nazi-trump-inauguration/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-21T02:45:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:51:12.983Z article:section: Politics og:title: White Nationalist Richard Spencer Gets Punched During an Interview og:description: The attack took place in Washington D.C. following Donald Trump's inauguration og:url: https://time.com/4642117/richard-spencer-punched-white-nationalist-nazi-trump-inauguration/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta93485e97c454a71/6988b68097cdffa6606af2ff/richard-spencer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Richard Spencer og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: White Nationalist Richard Spencer Gets Punched During an Interview twitter:description: The attack took place in Washington D.C. following Donald Trump's inauguration twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta93485e97c454a71/6988b68097cdffa6606af2ff/richard-spencer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # White Nationalist Richard Spencer Gets Punched During an Interview > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b9f449a9-e48c-467e-ae0c-0a76d4a18612&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jan 21, 2017 2:45 AM UTC  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](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jan 21, 2017 2:45 AM UTC A hooded man punched white nationalist [Richard Spencer](http://time.com/4592947/students-protest-white-nationalist-richard-spencer-texas-am/) 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) 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). 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/) 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), 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/) in German during an anti-Semitic speech at a white nationalist conference in Washington D.C., held to celebrate Donald Trump’s electoral victory. 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