Trump Says White Nationalism Isn’t A Growing Threat. He’s Lying.

After a radical right-wing terrorist murdered 50 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, President Trump downplayed the threat of white nationalism - a threat he has helped to fuel.

Updated March 16, 2019: The death toll of the New Zealand terrorist attack has now risen to 50 and President Trump has since defended Fox News host Jeanine Pirro after her Islamophobic comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar.

On Friday, 50 Muslims were murdered in an act of right-wing terrorism. The two shootings took place at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The 28-year-old terrorist, whose name we will not publish, live streamed the shooting in a horrific act of depravity. The terrorist moved with precision as if he had been tactically training for the attack. Before the attack, he published a manifesto that espoused white supremacist views. The terrorist cited President Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity” and other various right-wing influencers as inspiration.

$3 - Get Our Daily Newsletter

$10 - Join Our Community Newsroom (30-Day Free Trial)

Other amount $ Subscribe To Rantt

After tweeting condolences for the victims, but not condemning Islamophobia, President Trump then described immigrants at the border using rhetoric that the terrorist himself used.

“We are experiencing an invasion on a level never seen before in history.” – White Nationalist terrorist who killed 49 Muslims in a place of worship yesterday “People hate the word invasion, but that’s what it is.” – Trump, just now pic.twitter.com/RinMRfZy8G — Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) March 15, 2019

When asked about the threat of white nationalism, President Trump, who has spent his political career fanning the flames of white nationalism and Islamophobia through xenophobic fear-mongering, claimed that he doesn’t believe it is a rising threat.

Reporter: “Do you see white nationalism as a rising threat around the world?” Trump: “I don’t really.” We saw a nearly 50% increase in white nationalist hate groups between 2017 and 2018. https://t.co/LMTb73Nxzt pic.twitter.com/8rVhQKHRfW — Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) March 15, 2019

When asked if she agreed with Trump, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said “No.” The Prime Minister also said New Zealand would change its gun laws.

While President Trump refused to name the threat, the Australian Prime Minister called the shooter an “extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist.”

I highlighted the growing threat of American radical right-wing terrorism in an article for The Independent:

Last year, the FBI announced that hate crimes rose 17 percent in 2017 — the third consecutive year hate crimes have risen. Just yesterday, The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) published their “Year In Hate” analysis tracking hate groups around the US. They found hate groups surged by 30 percent over the last four years. That makes 2018 the fourth consecutive year of hate group growth.

To further bolster this point, the FBI and DHS reportedly prepared a report dated May 10, 2017, called “White Supremacist Extremism Poses Persistent Threat of Lethal Violence.” Notably, the report asserted that:

White supremacists “were responsible for 49 homicides in 26 attacks from 2000 to 2016 … more than any other domestic extremist movement.”

On June 23, 2017, the Trump administration cut funding ($400,000) from the “Countering Violent Extremism” program which backed an anti-white supremacist organization founded by former neo-Nazis.

Today, we published a thread that featured research from scholars that include PHDs and experts on the radical right. We covered the history, scope, and drivers of the global threat of white supremacy, nationalism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism and what we can do to combat it:

49 Muslims were murdered in New Zealand by a radical right-wing terrorist In our partnership with the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right (@C4ARR) we’ve highlighted the threat of right-wing extremism & how to combat it Trump says it’s not a threat—Let’s educate him THREAD — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

After Aristotle’s climate theory and the Biblical Curse of Ham were no longer the primary theories of white supremacy, Eugenics took their place. 20th-century eugenicists—in the US and Europe—perpetuated the fake science of white genetic superiority. (1)https://t.co/RfNMkTSTAn — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

This false idea of genetic white superiority fuels the fear of “white genocide” we see playing out across the globe today. The age-old fear that immigrants would “infest” and “replace” whites hit a fever pitch during the recent refugee crisis. (2)https://t.co/lPlPGlKBbx — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

As the rise of the radical right unfolded in Europe, Trump reminded us how deep-seated white supremacy is in America. The US surge in right-wing extremism is merely a resurfacing of pre-existing sentiments hidden in our whitewashed history books. (3)https://t.co/L9tsyPFGja — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

President Trump ripped the mask off the @GOP‘s southern strategy. Using fear-mongering tactics, Trump preys on the xenophobia in his base to stir up white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia. Hate crimes have surged. Trump hasn’t stopped. (4)https://t.co/eQaFF9SjmC — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

Why are we discussing the US surge of right-wing extremism in the context of the #NewZealandTerroristAttack? Because the radical right is now a collaborative international enterprise The Christchurch terrorist said he was radicalized by the US right

(5)https://t.co/SV4jt8eiDp — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

This brings us to tech. Companies like @facebook and @Twitter have enabled neo-Nazis to flourish under the guise of “free speech.” Like the terrorist in New Zealand, neo-Nazis are radicalized & organized on their platforms. The results are deadly. (6)https://t.co/KJqr08K3XY — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

When they’re banned from one platform, they join another. Britain First (the anti-Muslim hate group that Trump retweeted) joined Gab after they were banned from Twitter and Facebook. Gab was used by the neo-Nazi Tree of Life Synagogue terrorist. (7)https://t.co/xxU8ZqmHlO — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

So what do we do about it? We could utilize some of the counter-terrorism tactics that were deployed against ISIS. This will take tech companies to proactively suppress the spread of hate on their platforms. Designated task forces will be necessary (8)https://t.co/mzX6gmCw5d — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

We could also try a community-based approach similar to what was deployed in Manchester. A good start would be for @realDonaldTrump to take the threat of radical right-wing terrorism seriously and fund programs to combat it—like the one he defunded. (9)https://t.co/TZu4oNrsFZ — Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) March 15, 2019

Rantt Media’s comprehensive articles source reporting from top news organizations, but they’re also built on brilliant analysis from our team. We are independently-owned and strive for quality, not clicks. But the only way to truly have a media for the people is for media to be funded by the people. We take pride in being reader-funded so that we are beholden to you, not corporate interests. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by signing up for a monthly subscription.