It should come as no surprise to many readers that the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has excited many groups on the far-right. What may be more shocking to average Americans is that Trump has not tried to deny or downplay the support his campaign is getting from these groups.
Whether most Americans are familiar with the activities of far-right groups or not, all Americans can probably remember that David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan member, celebrated a possible Trump White House earlier this year. This endorsement is so well-known due to the mass media coverage it received. But Duke is just the most prominent of extremists to come out of the woodwork in support of Trump. There are many far-right figures even more extreme than Duke on air and online who are openly championing Trump.
Interestingly, many of these far-right groups have never openly supported a presidential nominee before. Some of these groups include the American Nazi Party, the Ku Klux Klan, and various white nationalist groups. The individuals that comprise these groups are not shy about spreading their neo-Nazi propaganda and threats all across the Internet. For example, the neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin warned reporters that if Trump is not elected in November, more white Americans will become “radicalized” and join the neo-Nazi fold. Other far-right leaders have either participated in violent demonstrations against political correctness, or threatened the use of violence if Trump does not win the election.
These far-right endorsers of Trump, which currently number around two dozen, continue to spread hate speech all over the web against Latinos, Muslims, blacks, and Jews. Many of them fear an America where whites are no longer the majority. Although the Trump campaign has officially said that it would reject bigotry and hatred from supporters, no one on the campaign team has answered specific questions regarding these extremist endorsers.
Some of these prominent far-right endorsers of Trump include Rocky J. Suhayda, the Chair of the American Nazi Party, anti-Islamic activist Jon Ritzheimer, and prominent white nationalist Peter Brimelow. These, along with other militia members, KKK affiliates, and neo-Nazi officials, contribute to the free far-right support Trump is receiving every day.
These are just some of the more extreme fringes that have come out to give their support to the Trump campaign, but they are indicative of a general trend towards a more welcoming attitude towards far-right politics in America. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has called out the Trump campaign on this issue when she said that his campaign has made hate groups go “mainstream.” The recent phenomenon of the growing alternative right scene online, as well as the rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric, could be indicative of a nation of young white males being swayed further to the right than ever before in the USA’s history.
One can only guess what this increasing acceptance of far-right attitudes will have on the future of American politics. As of today, Trump has made no direct comment on the issue, nor has he denounced the various extremist members that have shown their support for his campaign. Whether Trump wins or loses in November, liberals might have to work very hard to bring conservatives back to the ideological center in the coming years.