Extremist groups are latching on to ex-president’s xenophobic messages to recruit people and spread ideology

Neo-Nazi groups and the online far right are latching on to the anti-immigration rhetoric coming from Donald Trump’s campaign for the White House in an effort to recruit new supporters and spread their extremism to broader audiences.

After the Republican national convention in July, where supporters waved “MASS DEPORTATION NOW!” placards, it became clear that Trump’s xenophobia has become part of the Republican establishment. Upon his return to X, formerly known as Twitter, Trump released a stream of images targeting Vice-President Kamala Harris’s stance on the border and immigration.

Among them were memes inferring 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.”