Donald Trump Is Building a New Army of Foot Soldiers

One exception is the armed militia movement, which is having a mild revival. Hurt by a massive Facebook deplatforming in 2020, Tess Owen recently observed these groups “have been quietly reorganizing, ramping up recruitment and rhetoric” in recent months. Some groups hope to help Trump’s deportation scheme.

The most high-profile arrests and sentences, however, have been related to the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Around 300 new people were charged in 2024 (out of a grand total of 1,600); half of these were for “assaulting or impeding law enforcement.” Those sentenced include Taylor Johnatakis, who received seven years, and Proud Boy Marc Bru, who got five. Not forgetting his followers, Trump has promised to pardon some or all of these prisoners.

Arrests from past, high-profile incidents also continue. Over the past year, several members of the infamous 2017 tiki-torch march in Charlottesville, Virginia were arrested—as have a number of Republican “fake electors” from the 2020 election.

A new wave of swastika-waving neo-Nazis has emerged, too. The media-friendly Blood Tribe, who use striking aesthetics and a confrontational approach, were early promoters of the pet-eating rumor. A Columbus, Ohio march by their splinter group Hate Club 1488 grabbed so much attention that even President Biden denounced it.

It is less common, however, for that base to remain strong after defeat. But, defying the odds, the MAGA movement continued to flourish under Joe Biden. Now, with Trump returning to the White House, the far right grassroots is barreling into 2025 with plenty of momentum, while their leader both helps set their agenda while sustaining it by crowd-sourcing their conspiracies and lies for his own use.

The backlash over gender, sexuality, and reproductive rights continues, with trans issues front-and-center. After Roe v Wade was struck down in 2022, attacks on abortion rights increased. And when Trump was reelected, the slogan “Your Body, My Choice” spread like wildfire after being embraced by far right leaders like Nick Fuentes.

The notoriously violent Proud Boys, who played an important role in storming the Capitol four years ago, have faced even tougher times. With their leader Enrique Tarrio serving a twenty-two year sentence for his role in the assault on the Capitol, their scattered chapters now lack cohesion and focus.

The white supremacists and their moderate cousins often see-saw in popularity, one rising as the other falls. In recent years, the moderates have swung high. Moms for Liberty, which has focused on banning school library books—especially those with LGBTQ+ content but also ones with pro-diversity or antiracist messages—started 2024 with almost 300 chapters. But their influence has waned  as the year went on.

The Far Right Base

The far right has two wings. One is openly white supremacist, and is vocally opposed to groups like people of color, Jews, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ people. The other is more moderate in its beliefs; people of color—themselves an increasing part of Trump’s base—are welcome, as are Jews. Both wings overlap in their hatred of “communism” (also a catch-all term for anything to the left of them), embrace of conspiracy theories, contempt for democracy, and desire for traditional social hierarchies.

Lawsuits

One of the most effective strategies against the far right has been lawsuits. One popular conspiracy theory falsely claimed Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss illegally counted ballots in the 2020 election. The two women sued former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for spreading this and won $148 million, which they spent 2024 trying to collect. A similar suit against The Gateway Pundit website was settled out of court. Giuliani, meanwhile, has loudly and repeatedly complained that he is “broke” and “can’t buy food.” 

Arrests

A number of members of prominent white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups were arrested in 2024.  Two Terrorgram Collective members, who helped run several neo-Nazi Telegram channels, were arrested for soliciting the murder of federal officials. A Maniac Murder Cult leader was arrested for planning a mass casualty attack. And Nick Fuentes, whose Groyper movement has an impressive influence on mainstream Republicans, was charged with misdemeanor battery after pepper-spraying a woman who rang his doorbell.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s Infowars media empire, found liable for claiming the Sandy Hook school shooting was fake, is also up for grabs after Jones was ordered to pay $1.5 billion to the victims’ families. In November, Infowars was put to auction, which the satirical website The Onion won (although the purchase was later nullified). VDARE, a White Supremacist anti-immigration project influential on the first Trump administration, had to suspend operations after being fined for refusing to comply with a subpoena. Even with Trump in office, such lawsuits will likely continue to be potent tools against both far right groups and conspiracy theorists.

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