How Trump Took Hate Groups Mainstream (VIDEO)

We all knew something different was going on in June of 2015 when now-President Donald Trump joined the Republican presidential ticket. He was endorsed by the KKK and other White Nationalist groups.

They were thrilled when Trump released his immigration plan. His plan to deport millions of people and end birthright citizenship thrilled and delighted them.

Peter Brimelow, editor of the anti-immigrant site VDare.com, said this about Trump’s proposal:

“The thing that delighted us the most.”

President Trump became the favorite of the new “alt-right” movement of white nationalists. One of their leaders, Richard Spencer, declared “Trump loves white people.”

Trump avoided distancing himself from the KKK and these other white nationalist groups.

Since the election, these hate groups have remained mainstream. In February, President Trump sent representatives from known hate groups to a United Nations (UN) conference.

Southern states such as Alabama and Texas have an alarming number of hate groups active in their states.

What does it take for Trump to denounce these groups? Well, it took a violent incident in Charlottesville, Virginia and two days for Trump to openly call out hate groups.

On Monday, President Trump said:

“Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminal and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.”

The total number of hate groups has risen by 17 percent since the election. That number is 917 total groups in the country. This is high but not as high as the 1,018 we had in 2011.

One in six of these groups is linked to the KKK. One in ten is a white nationalist group, and one in 10 is a Neo-Nazi group or linked to them.

Naturally, the number of anti-Muslim groups went up in the last year as well.

Here is John Oliver’s take on Charlottesville:

https://youtu.be/DXszx68uhsY

Featured image via Twitter.

Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com