'Trump's foot soliders': White nationalists are feeling emboldened by his return to power

06 January

The United States' 2024 presidential race will go down in history as incredibly polarizing.

Vice President Kamala Harris led a diverse coalition that ranged from liberals and progressives to centrist Blue Dog Democrat to right-wing Never Trump conservatives, and many of her supporters on both the left and the right slammed Donald Trump as dangerously authoritarian and a threat to democracy. But it wasn't enough to get Harris past the finish line, and President-elect Trump defeated her by roughly 1.5 percent in the popular vote while picking up 312 electoral votes (according to the Cook Political Report).

Christian nationalists and white fundamentalist evangelicals have been celebrating Trump's victory, which they view as a major triumph for their agenda. And they aren’t the only ones on the far right who are feeling emboldened by Trump's return to the White House.

In an article published on January 6, 2025 — four years after the violent 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building and 14 days before Trump's second inauguration — The New Republic's Spencer Sunshine details the enthusiasm that white nationalists and neo-Nazis are feeling.

"Active clubs — white supremacist MMA training gyms — are in full flourish, and have even expanded overseas," Sunshine reports. "While they've had limited public activism, observers worry they could soon transform into a fully-fledged fighting force. A new wave of swastika-waving neo-Nazis has emerged, too. The media-friendly Blood Tribe, who use striking aesthetics and a confrontational approach, were early promoters of the pet-eating rumor."

Sunshine adds, "A Columbus, Ohio march by their splinter group Hate Club 1488 grabbed so much attention that even President Biden denounced it."

According to Sunshine, Blood Tribe — along with Patriot Front and the antisemitic Goyim Defense League — "represent a new, flourishing neo-Nazi movement — one that will likely continue to grow during Trump's second term."

Trump has vowed to pardon the January 6, 2021 rioters, and he hasn't ruled out the possibility of pardoning those who were charged with violent offenses.

Sunshine warns that these pardons could encourage far-right groups to engage in acts of violence, from militia groups to white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

"Pardons for the leaders of violent groups, such as the Proud Boys' (Enrique) Tarrio, will undoubtedly result in their group's revival," Sunshine predicts. "It will also signal Trump's approval of street violence, potentially reviving the mass street brawls with antifascists during Trump's first term, such as those seen in Portland, Oregon."

Sunshine continues, "As far-right grassroots remain mobilized, the next four years will likely be an environment where far right individuals and groups can be fully activated and function as Trump's foot soldiers — legally or otherwise."

Read Spencer Sunshine's full article for The New Republic at this link.

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