Are white nationalists Neo-Nazis? Alt-right 'Hail Trump!' speech blurs lines

Jubilant self-described white nationalists are basking in the glow of Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election.

"Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!" is how alt-right ideologue Richard B. Spencer saluted more than 200 supporters Sunday at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., for the annual conference of the National Policy Institute. The National Policy Institute describes itself as "an independent organization dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of people of European descent in the United States, and around the world."

The supporters, mostly young men with shaved-on-the-sides, long-on-top haircuts, returned the salute with outstretched arms, Nazi-style.

This how the New York Times described the speech that Spencer — the man who coined the term "alt-right" — gave Sunday:

"He railed against Jews and, with a smile, quoted Nazi propaganda in the original German. America, he said, belonged to white people, whom he called the 'children of the sun,' a race of conquerors and creators who had been marginalized but now, in the era of President-elect Donald J. Trump, were 'awakening to their own identity.'"

For those who have never strapped on jackboots, grappling with the terms "white nationalism" and "alt-right" can be daunting.

Richard Spencer, a leader of the far right, addresses a conference in Washington, Nov. 19, 2016. Hundreds of members of an extremist movement, feeling surprised but validated, gathered in Washington to herald a moment of political ascendance. (Al Drago/The New York Times) less Richard Spencer, a leader of the far right, addresses a conference in Washington, Nov. 19, 2016. Hundreds of members of an extremist movement, feeling surprised but validated, gathered in Washington to herald a ... more Photo: AL DRAGO, NYT Photo: AL DRAGO, NYT Image 1 of / 34 Caption Close Are white nationalists Neo-Nazis? Alt-right 'Hail Trump!' speech blurs lines 1 / 34 Back to Gallery

Is white nationalism the same as white supremacism or is the latter just a more radical subset of the larger group? Is the alt-right movement racist and fascist, or just populist ultra-conservatism?

In the New York Times, Birkbeck University of London's Eric Kaufmann was quoted as making a distinction between white nationalism and white supremacy.

"White nationalism, he said, is the belief that national identity should be built around white ethnicity, and that white people should therefore maintain both a demographic majority and dominance of the nation's culture and public life."

Kauffman maintains that white nationalism is not synonymous with white supremacy, which he describes as the racist belief in the innate superiority of whites to people of other races.

As for the term "alt-right," while it may encompass other idealogical tenets that go beyond white nationalism, white nationalism is a driving force in the movement, as Spencer made clear in his speech at National Policy Institute.

A few months ago, Steve Bannon, Trump's newly appointed White House chief strategist, took credit for turning Breitbart into "the platform of the alt-right movement."

Despite claims to the contrary by Rep. Nancy Pelosi and others, Bannon claims he is not a white nationalist.

"I'm an economic nationalist," Bannon told the Hollywood Reporter's Michael Wolff.

But posters on the Stormfront, the "White Pride" site founded by a former Ku Klux Klan leader in 1996, were absolutely gleeful that Bannon will have Trump's ear.

"Stephen Bannon, racist, anti-homo, anti-immigrant anti-jewish, anti-establishment. Declared war on (((Paul Ryan))) Sounds perfect. Muhahahaha," wrote one.

"It doesn't get any better than this," commented another.