Donald Trump was the first person he voted for, which says a lot about 60-year-old John Turano.
When it all started, Turano was one of the more aggressive, smack-talking, rubbish bin-tossing, alt-right warriors, and those antics saw him ascend to hero status.
After all, it was easy to spot him: he rocked up at far-right rallies dressed in a Greek Sparta costume along with his daughter.
Known for fighting with Antifa protestors, and confronting anyone who got in his way, he quickly became known as “Based Spartan”.
But then one day, at a rally in Portland, Oregon, the story goes that a Jewish counter-protester gave him a taste of his own medicine when he walked up to him and asked:
“Does my life matter?”
It was a question that made Turano “feel awful”, and he has since distanced himself from his public appearance as the alt-right gladiator, reports MIC:
He remains an ardent Trump supporter, showing up at counter-protests and declaring himself a proud patriot. But now he’s part of a growing faction of right-wing activists who regret their recent involvement with the alt-right.
Since downing the body armour and Spartan helmet that made him famous, VICE met up with Turano at his home in Los Angeles to hear “why he joined the alt right in the first place, what it was like to rally with them, and why he decided to go his own way”.
Watch below for what could be the most confusing political alignment argument ever:
Honestly, when I saw that his “No Regrets” tattoo [9:30 mark] wasn’t misspelled, I was most disappointed.
