His or Tariq's not speaking for anybody does not mean we can not discuss what they said and how that affects the overall discourse.
Let's take Tariq, for example, we all can agree that Tariq's turn into divisive and xenophobic rhetoric is not healthy, but the fact is, it is there, and he has acolytes who will spread his message and be influenced by him, and one can argue that Tariq's rhetoric is partly responsible for both of Trump's terms.
When people get on wide-reaching platforms and speak, we can't ignore what is being said and just dismiss it as bullshit from the dark corners of the internet anymore.