Opinion | In the wake of Capitol riots and Trump’s exit, who will galvanise America’s alt-right?
- The disparate anti-establishment groups unified only by their hatred of the left were whipped into a force by Trump’s rallying cry of ‘Make America Great Again’
- The fallout from the Capitol attacks has divided two of the main groups. Republicans who want their support may well have to recreate a version of Trump come 2024
The alt-right is a conglomerate of far-right groups, white supremacists and an assortment of conspiracy buffs. The movement believes the structural landscape of American institutions has shifted to the left. The government, media, universities, corporations and, more recently, tech companies are considered to be upholding varying levels of socialism, Marxism and communism.
Simply put, the alt-right is anti-establishment. Because of their disdain for authority, they have never had a unitary structure or a single leader. However, Trump was an exception. Notionally a political outsider, he legitimised the alt-right’s paranoia, and presented himself as their bannerman. But with Trump’s exit, there appear to be splits in how the movement ought to move forward politically.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reportedly considers QAnon a domestic terrorism threat. As the FBI began charging rioters at the US Capitol, QAnon was among those claiming the entire uprising was staged; the peaceful pro-Trump rally was infiltrated by “radical leftists” from the Black Lives Matter movement and Antifa. The latter is an anti-fascist movement as loosely structured as the alt-right.