The alternative right or alt-right so-called “movement†has attempted to claim credit for the election of Donald Trump. Despite alt-right leaders constant support for the Trump administration, Trump has put distance between himself and them, and must maintain focus on the constituents who actually elected him to the presidency, millions of working class Americans nationwide.
The alt right movement has existed since 2008 and claims to represent “radical conservative movement defined by white nationalism and a fervent resistance to multiculturalism and globalism.†For alt-right leaders, such as Richard Spencer, Trump’s rise to power was a symbol of the imagined prominence of the alt-right which he somehow believes provided a back bone for Trump’s support.
Spencer explains:
[Trump] is the first step, the first stage towards identity politics for white people. He’s not your father’s conservative. He’s not in this to promote free markets or neoconservative foreign politics or to protect Israel, for that matter. He’s in this to protect his people. He’s in this to protect the historic American nation.â€
In truth, this gives Spencer far more attention than he deserves.
In the meantime, back in reality, Trump has no reason to feel indebted to this group, and the media and liberal activists must stop pretending this group is somehow dominating the political arena. It is not.
A clear majority of the alt-right traffic is generated from websites such as Reddit and 4chan where users engage in discussions hidden behind their computer screens. Outside of the Internet world the “movement†seems to have little clout.
Trump created his own movement by reaching Americans across the nation by the millions and winning the highest elected position in the land. He owed the Republican nomination largely to primary voters in New Hampshire and South Carolina who gave him the momentum early in the campaign, and to union households among others in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin who helped put him over the top in the electoral college on Nov. 8.
Joel Kotkin, a Forbes contributor covering demographic and economic trends, explains just after the elections that Trump won because of his ability to garner the attention of swing state suburban voters. In crucial Midwest states, such as Michigan and Wisconsin, Trump could attract a population disgruntled by employment and wages. Even in the deeply blue state of Minnesota, Trump held significant support.
BBC exit poll analysis concluded that 42 percent of women voted for Trump as well as nearly 30 percent of Hispanics. It was this turnout too which assisted Trump in clinching the presidency in states such as Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, and Arizona.
Trumps largest support base was and is not the alt-right, but rather every day Americans focused on economic hardships since the dotcom bubble and financial crisis. Which makes sense, given that Trump’s entire campaign was based off removing identity politics from the political arena.
While the alt-right leaders praise identity politics, Trump has refuted their ideology, telling the New York Times on Nov. 22 that he will “disavow and condemn them,†also noting that he wished to avoid “energizing†the group in any way.
Trump has never had the goal of “whitening†the nation as alt-right movement leaders have suggested, but rather focusing on every day working American struggles, which is where his voting base of 60 million people derived from.
It is the American people who Trump owes his victory to, not the alt-right.
Alt-right did not get Trump elected nor is he their knight in shining armor. Rather, Trump represents the American dream regardless of race, color, religion, or gender. While alt-right isolates and rejects cultural inclusion, Trump’s true sentiments were clear the moment he accepted his position as President-elect.
In his victory speech early in the morning on Nov. 9, Trump declared leaving little doubt as to his intent: “It is time for us to come together as one united people. It’s time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me.â€
At this point, the only people promoting the idea that the alt-right had anything to do with Trump winning are the media and liberal activists, and that’s just wrong. This is a media creation. They’re not important. Don’t pay any more attention to them.
Natalia Castro is a contributing editor at Americans for Limited Government.
10 comments
This writing has the tired white versus everything else stink about it, the kind anti-white racist flavor that the radical Marxist Left and the radical Fascist Right have branded for years, just to keep everyone at everyone else’s throats.
Instead, it’s time to stop writing like the Lame Media. Time to emphasis the traditional values of Western Culture. Time to make America great again.
This is like our previous circular discussions regarding what a “conservative” is. Alt-right isn’t clearly defined, but the MSM is desperately trying to define it as a white supremacy movement so they have a new boogeyman to scare Democrats with.
I can’t imagine there are enough white supremacists (or any other kind of supremacist for that matter) to make a difference anywhere in the USA.
I find it interesting that the MSM is very comfortable with defining alt-right yet dead silent when it comes to what is obvious, an alt-left. The MSM is either the alt-left or scared to define Islam and the BLM as part of the alt-left.
Fair is fair. If the alt-right is neo-nazi or kkk, then the alt-left is Islamic terrorist or black panthers.
I have to disagree with the definition of alt right as stated in this article. The first part about white nationalism is a racist creation of the left designed to undermine the second part. Are there white nationals, yes, just like their are black nationals, Hispanic nationals, Chinese nationals, etc. The left, of course, doesn’t want to admit that these latter nationals far out number the white nationals because they want to use them for grievance politics.
Multiculturalism is being recognized throughout Europe as a danger to Western societies because it ends up promoting the Islamic ideology that is at war with western culture. Even Merkel has rejected the idea that a multicultural society can work.
Globalism is another word for international totalitarian socialism. What Trump did is expose all the political correctness associated with advancing this anti-American ideology.
To me, what happened in this past election was the rise of America first populism. It is Ronald Reagan’s silent majority coalition that is silent no more.
You are absolutely correct! “Globalism is another word for international totalitarian socialism”
Hear, hear!
The only difference in these “nationals” is that that the white nationals are condemned, while all the other nationals are praised, especially the blacks and Hispanics.
Moreover, “multiculturalism” is a concept created to dilute and destroy the European race that built this country. I would like to thank all the Cuckservatives of the Republican Party for licking the boots of the politically correct storm troopers, and letting this country devolve to this point.
Most of the alt-right is not associated with and does not promote white supremacy.
I’d say its more about promoting western values. Nationalism is a big part of that and so is opposing illegal immigration.
But that’s a far cry from being a Nazi.
It would be nice to define the alt-left by saying “they are a radical liberal movement based on racial and minority grievances and having a fervent resistance to the American nation and to its Constitution, traditions and culture”. Would that describe all Democrats and progressives? I would opine that this definition of the alt-left has many more followers than the stated definition of the alt-right.
Hard to buy into this argument when his appointments to date and his circle of influencers is dominated with alt-right esk individuals. You’ll have to explain to me how a conspiracy from InfoWars becomes a major message and concern (illegal voters lost the popular vote) for Trump before I discount the influence of the alt-right on his agenda.
And 0bama’s appointments were from the alt-left which is always given accolades for its obsessive anti-Americanism and support for global totalitarianism.