During President Trump’s first turn in the White House, right-wing extremists like the Proud Boys were on the streets, weekend after weekend, raising their voices — and oftentimes their fists — about issues such as immigration, the squelching of conservative speech and the removal of Confederate-era statues.
But in the first seven months of Mr. Trump’s second term, there has been a conspicuous absence of far-right demonstrations. And that, some leaders of the movement say, is because the president has effectively adopted their agenda.
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Whether it is dismantling diversity programs, complaining about anti-white bias in museums or simply promoting an aura of authoritarian nationalism, Mr. Trump has embraced an array of far-right views and talking points in ways that have delighted many right-wing activists who have long supported those ideas.
His administration has also hired several people with a history of making racist or antisemitic remarks or who have looked favorably on the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Far-right figures have been particularly thrilled by Mr. Trump’s aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants, praising not only the ubiquitous images of masked federal agents raiding farms and factories, but also the ideology that has fueled those moves: a belief that migration to the United States is all but synonymous with a military invasion.
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All of these developments have taken place as the official X account for Mr. Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has posted some messages with thinly veiled white nationalist content.
Last week, for instance, the account, seeking new recruits for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, posted an image of Uncle Sam under a slogan reading, “America Needs You/Join ICE Now.” Above the image was a question: “Which way, American man?”
That appeared to be a reference to the 1978 book “Which Way, Western Man?” written by the white supremacist William Gayley Simpson and published by the National Alliance, a neo-Nazi organization. The book claims that there is a Jewish plot against white people in the Western world and calls for violence against Jews.
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{snip} Homeland security officials, flush with billions of dollars from Mr. Trump’s recent budget bill, have been hiring new immigration agents and cracking down with new initiatives like encouraging officers to search the social media accounts of immigrants seeking to enter the country for anti-American sentiments.
That last measure appeared to enchant Kevin DeAnna, an early alt-right leader who often writes for a white nationalist website under the name of James Kirkpatrick. On Tuesday, Mr. DeAnna posted on social media about an article quoting a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services saying, “America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies.”
“Got a little more of what I voted for again,” Mr. DeAnna wrote.
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