Donald Trump's third bid for the presidency is leaning heavily on anti-immigrant rhetoric and that has some extremism experts accusing the GOP candidate's campaign of handing neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists a helping hand when it comes to recruiting new members.
According to a report from the Guardian's Ben Makuch, a common sight at Trump rallies are signs handed out by the campaign that state in all caps: "MASS DEPORTATION NOW."
That message falls in line with demands from neo-Nazis who are undergoing another resurgence as the election nears.
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The report notes that Trump himself has been spreading racist memes on his Truth Social account, with Makuch writing, "Among them were memes implying the Democrats will bring rapists into the country and a 2012 photo of men in Karachi, Pakistan, burning an American flag with the caption: 'Meet your neighbors [...] IF KAMALA WINS.'"
"Known figures on the far right and their online denizens are seizing on the open hatred of immigrants from the top Republican and going even more public with their brand of activism," the Guardian is reporting with Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) explaining, "At this point, demonizing and lying about immigrants is part and parcel of the far-right scene and a major part of its anti-immigrant messaging."
She added that racist groups see their message being “mainstreamed by political figures”.
According to Joshua Fisher-Birch, an analyst at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), "These groups will continue to hold anti-immigration rallies before the November election because they see an opportunity to recruit and gain publicity within the broader anti-immigrant space," before warning, "These extremist groups are not popular but frequently try to gain momentum from culture-war issues in an attempt to stay relevant and recruit.”
"he Trump campaign inflaming hate crimes and far-right activism is not without precedent. A study out of the University of North Texas on the 2016 Trump campaign, one that held nativist racism at its core, statistically proved that in places where Trump held one of his over 300 rallies there was a '226% increase in hate-motivated incidents,'" the Guardian is reporting.
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