IV. 2021-2024
January 6 – The Fallout
The January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection led to over 1,400 arrests, including members of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, QAnon believers, neo-Nazis, and Christian nationalists. Roughly 35% of those charged had ties to extremist groups; the rest were largely older, white, middle-class Americans—veterans, small business owners, police, and clergy—radicalized online through disinformation and white grievance politics. The attack resulted in multiple deaths, over 170 injuries, and more than $30 million in damage. High-profile convictions included Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes for seditious conspiracy. Fractures emerged within the far-right coalition, prompting movement leaders to diversify their narratives and migrate across platforms and subcultures.
Legal Reckonings and Retaliation
In the wake of 2020 election lies and January 6, several key right-wing figures faced major legal consequences. Fox Newspaid Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million for airing false claims. Mike Lindell and Dinesh D’Souza faced defamation lawsuits for pushing election conspiracy content. Rudy Giuliani was disbarred and fined millions for spreading election lies. Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were convicted for contempt of Congress. Donald Trump faced multiple indictments and civil suits related to election interference and fraud. Unrelated, Alex Jones was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion for defaming and harassing Sandy Hook families in grief.
Right-wing media cast these actions as censorship and political persecution, misrepresenting defamation and conspiracy verdicts as attacks on free speech. But courts proved these actors were knowingly spreading falsehoods with actual malice. These were not attacks on opinion; they were accountability for lies that caused real harm. Still, the radical right used these cases to stoke grievance, turning legal consequences into fuel for their outrage machine.
The Backlash to Black Lives Matter
Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, over 7,750 Black Lives Matter protests erupted nationwide. The conviction of Derek Chauvin for Floyd’s murder marked a rare moment of accountability. Activists pushed for reforms like reallocating police budgets, bail reform, and marijuana justice.
Despite continued protests in 2023 over killings like Tyre Nichols and Keenan Anderson, police accountability remained limited. Courts blocked access to bodycam footage in cases like Joseph Pettaway, hindering justice efforts.
The right-wing response was swift and hostile. Trump called BLM a “symbol of hate,” while Republican media portrayed protests as violent and lawless. Republican lawmakers rejected reform efforts and passed laws criminalizing protest tactics. Activists were smeared as “antifa” or “Marxists,” and the movement was used to rally support for “law and order” policies rooted in reactionary backlash.
Anti-Trans Fearmongering and “Parental Rights”
The American far right intensified a coordinated assault on LGBTQ+ communities, primarily trans youth, through moral panic, conspiracy, and punitive legislation. Framed as "protecting children," this movement fused homophobia, patriarchal backlash, and QAnon/Satanic Panic-adjacent rhetoric to consolidate political power while scapegoating queer people.
A central figure in this effort is Chaya Raichik, creator of @LibsOfTikTok, who gained attention spreading COVID-19 denial, election fraud lies, and support for the January 6 insurrection. In 2021, she pivoted to targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, doxxing teachers, drag performers, healthcare workers, and children, amplified by figures like Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, and Christina Pushaw. Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire became a leading anti-trans propagandist, promoting falsehoods through a children's book and documentary that portray gender-affirming care as child abuse. Both Raichik and Walsh have been linked to cases of stochastic terrorism through death threats and bomb scares targeting hospitals, clinics, and schools, and helped fuel harassment campaigns and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the U.S.
By 2025, 27 states had banned gender-affirming care for minors. Despite urgent warnings from major medical associations about suicide risk and psychological harm, legislators chose fearmongering over evidence. The "groomer" myth has become GOP orthodoxy, justifying censorship laws, driving book bans, teacher purges, and the forced outing of queer youth. Reactionary "parental rights" movements, like Moms for Liberty, No Left Turn in Education, and Turning Point USA, waged a cultural war on public schools. Backed by Christian nationalist networks and Republican politicians, these groups lobbied for banning books on race, gender, and sexuality, launched school board takeovers, and pushed vague "transparency" laws that criminalized inclusive education. In some districts, parents even held public book burnings.
This movement ignored real instances of child endangerment. Donald Trump's direct ties to Jeffrey Epstein, his appointment of Alexander Acosta, who helped Epstein avoid serious charges, his support for Roy Moore, and multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including by minors, have been public for years. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondideclined to investigate Trump University after receiving campaign donations, raising further ethical red flags. None of this elicited concern from so-called child advocates within the parental rights movement.
Real people are getting hurt, especially queer youth, used as collateral in an insidious political strategy. The outrage is selective. That’s not hypocrisy. That’s the point.
Legislative Escalation
The United States is experiencing a historic surge in anti-trans legislation, targeting gender-affirming healthcare, pronouns, drag performances, and education.
2021: 143 bills introduced, 18 passed
2022: 174 introduced, 26 passed
2023: 615 introduced, 87 passed
2024: 701 introduced, 51 passed
Billionaire-Backed “Independent” Media
The American right built a powerful network of influencers, podcasts, livestreams, and social media personalities that branded themselves as independent and anti-establishment. Many are backed by billionaires, foreign interests, and dark money PACs, pushing collaborative far-right narratives centered on grievance, authoritarianism, and conspiracy—significantly targeting disaffected young men.
Figures like Tim Pool, Joe Rogan, and Patrick Bet-David consistently platform far-right ideologues. Pool was later exposed for his involvement in the Tenet Media scandal, in which the DOJ uncovered a $10 million Russian disinformation operation coordinated through Tenet's "independent" content creators, including Pool, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson. Rogan, the most influential podcaster in the U.S., gave uncritical platforms to voices like Jordan Petersonand Robert F. Kennedy Jr., promoting COVID-19 denial, vaccine skepticism, anti-trans rhetoric, white grievance, and uncritical interviews with members of the oligarchy. Multilevel marketing scam artist Bet-David, through his Valuetainment brand, styled himself as a business-minded centrist but routinely hosts hard-right figures.
Elon Musk's 2022 purchase of Twitter, now renamed X, was financed in part by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Musk gutted the moderation systems, reinstated banned extremists, and personally spread antisemitic conspiracy theories. Hate speech surged, advertisers fled, and the company's value dropped over 70%, but far-right influencers thrived.
Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, rather than rely on traditional press, appeared on podcasts hosted by figures like Bet-David, Theo Von, and Adin Ross—reaching younger audiences with no journalistic oversight. His appearance on Ross's livestream alongside Andrew Tate drew over 500,000 viewers.
The distinction between fringe content and mainstream conservative politics had evaporated. Truth was secondary to virality. Traditional journalism struggled to compete with this decentralized, billionaire-funded ecosystem, which was built to radicalize and mobilize through memes, algorithms, and endless grievances of outrage.
The Manosphere Grows In Influence
The manosphere has become a globally influential force, shaping political discourse, youth identity, and gender politics, and has evolved into a sprawling network of self-help influencers, monetized entertainment platforms, and far-right extremism. Slogans such as "Your body, my choice," "Get back in the kitchen," "Women Are Property," and "Repeal the 19th" have gone viral across platforms like X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok. These ideas have increasingly moved offline—appearing in middle schools, college campuses, and public demonstrations.
In 2021 alone, multiple violent incidents were carried out or planned by individuals identifying with or influenced by incel ideology, including bomb threats, mass shootings, and hate crimes. On May 6, 2023, a gunman opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, killing eight people—including a three-year-old child—and injuring seven others before being killed by police. The shooter had extensively documented his descent into extremism online, espousing white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and incel ideologies. His writings were filled with hatred toward women, Jewish people, and racial minorities.
Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer turned internet influencer, has become the most visible figure in the manosphere. He marketed hyper-masculinity and financial dominance to millions of young men through programs like Hustler's University, The War Room, and his high-control male grooming cult, The Real World. Arrested in Romania in 2022 on charges of human trafficking and rape, Tate remained a dominant cultural force. He was the third-most Googled person of 2023 and had amassed 9.9 million followers on X by mid-2024.
The Fresh & Fit podcast, hosted by Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes, promotes similar themes of male dominance, anti-feminism, and adversarial gender dynamics. The show regularly includes antisemitic and anti-Black rhetoric. Gaines amplified his messaging in his 2023 book Why Women Deserve Less, a text that argues women benefit unfairly in modern society. The book became widely shared within online misogynist circles and was marketed as a "no-nonsense" guide for men seeking control in relationships.
Hannah Pearl Davis rose to prominence through her JustPearlyThings channel, where she promotes traditional gender roles and virulent anti-feminism. Her content frequently crosses into extremism, including the use of antisemitic tropes and minimizing the legacy of slavery. Adin Ross, a Gen Z live streamer, helped further mainstream these ideologies by promoting Tate and Nick Fuentes to his vast audience. In 2024, Ross hosted a livestream featuring Donald Trump, viewed by over 500,000 people.
Normalization of Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories
Antisemitic conspiracy theories have gained traction under the guise of anti-elitism, free speech, and anti-globalism. Influential figures have pushed narratives portraying Jews—often euphemistically as "globalists" or "elites"—as secretly controlling media, finance, and immigration. While often claiming to transcend political categories, these influencers consistently align with far-right ideologies that scapegoat marginalized groups.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. baselessly claimed COVID-19 may have been genetically engineered to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people. Figures like Tim Pool, Gavin McInnes, and Alex Jones have helped launder white nationalist ideas into the mainstream. Pool floods discussions with "globalist" tropes, McInnes has explicitly blamed Jews for communism and feminism, and Jones revives the conspiracist traditions of the John Birch Society.
In 2022, Ye (born Kanye West) made a series of antisemitic statements—praising Hitler, denying the Holocaust, and identifying as a Nazi—which led to corporate backlash and inspired real-world hate. "Ye is Right" graffiti and banners soon appeared across the U.S., and he was briefly banned from Twitter after posting a swastika inside a Star of David. West also dined with Donald Trump and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, fueling further outrage.
Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist who has called for a "holy war" against Jews, continued to gain visibility—especially after briefly being reinstated on X (formerly Twitter). Candace Owens, a close ally of Ye, has echoed antisemitic conspiracies, minimized Hitler's crimes, and invoked rhetoric about Jewish control of the media. After Elon Muskacquired Twitter in 2022, antisemitic content surged. Under his leadership, extremists were reinstated, hate speech flourished, and Musk himself promoted posts accusing Jews of spreading hatred against white people.
These trends converged in online spaces where the Great Replacement theory thrived. Coined by French writer Renaud Camus, the theory falsely claims white populations are being "replaced" through immigration, often blaming Jews as orchestrators. In the U.S., it has been promoted by figures such as Tucker Carlson and Elise Stefanik and echoed by JD Vance and Vivek Ramaswamy. The theory inspired deadly violence, including mass shootings in Buffalo (2022), Jacksonville (2023), and Allen, Texas (2023). Additional antisemitic attacks include the 2022 synagogue hostage crisis in Colleyville, Texas, and the shootings of Jewish men in Los Angeles in 2023.
Texas and Florida
Texas and Florida became central proving grounds for an aggressive right-wing agenda that reshaped state governance and influenced national politics. Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis implemented sweeping laws on abortion, immigration, education, public health, and civil liberties. They positioned them, acting as incubators for policies to adopt on a national scale.
In Texas, Senate Bill 8 in 2021 banned nearly all abortions after six weeks and outsourced enforcement to private citizens, enabling lawsuits against providers and anyone aiding an abortion. Its structure was designed to evade judicial review and served as a template for copycat laws elsewhere. Texas launched Operation Lone Star, deploying thousands of National Guard and state police to the border and constructing its state-funded barrier. In 2023, Abbott signed Senate Bill 4, allowing local law enforcement to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants, prompting legal challenges from the Department of Justice and civil rights groups on constitutional grounds. Lawmakers restricted classroom discussions on race, gender, and U.S. history while pushing for book bans in libraries and curriculum reviews that critics said whitewashed historical injustices. The state also advanced school voucher programs and undercut teacher protections.Abbott signed House Bill 1927 in 2021, eliminating license and training requirements to carry handguns. Florida, under DeSantis, followed with a similar law in 2023.WikipediaWikipedia
The Stop WOKE Act, passed in 2022, restricted how race and gender could be discussed in schools and workplaces, and the Parental Rights in Education Act ("Don't Say Gay" law) limited discussions of LGBTQ+ identity in classrooms, sparking national lawsuits and condemnation from civil rights organizations. In 2023, Florida approved a revised Black history curriculum that included language suggesting enslaved people developed "skills" that benefited them. DeSantis restructured university boards, replaced leadership at New College of Florida with conservative allies, and signed legislation eliminating DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) offices and curricula. In 2022, Florida flew Venezuelan asylum seekers from Texas to Martha's Vineyard under pretenses. Abbott bused migrants to cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
Their COVID-19 responses rejected federal public health guidance. DeSantis banned vaccine and mask mandates and appointed Dr. Joseph Ladapo as Surgeon General. Ladapo has promoted unproven treatments, opposed vaccine and mask mandates, questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, and contradicted professional medical organizations, as well as opposed gender-affirming care and counseling for transgender and nonbinary minors. Texas followed suit, with Abbott banning mandates and promoting a similar "personal freedom" approach.
Both governors were re-elected in 2022 by wide margins. Abbott defeated Democrat Beto O'Rourke, while DeSantis flipped traditionally Democratic counties. DeSantis launched a presidential bid in 2023 but failed to surpass Donald Trump in the GOP primary; however, many of his policies continued to influence national Republican platforms. Texas and Florida served as policy machines for an emerging post-liberal political model. This model prioritized ideological control over education and media, expanded executive authority, blurred the lines between state and partisan power, and weaponized "freedom" as a justification for restricting rights.
SCOTUS
A series of landmark Supreme Court rulings significantly empowered the American right, both politically and ideologically.
Overturning of Roe v. Wade (2022)
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Court ended nearly 50 years of federal abortion rights, triggering bans across multiple states. For patriarchal conservatives, it was a crowning domination decades in the making, validating Trump-era judicial appointments warned about in 2015 and the Christian nationalist agenda.
Trump v. United States (2024)
The Court’s 6–3 ruling granted former presidents broad immunity for official acts, shielding Donald Trump from prosecution and reinforcing far-right beliefs that executive power should override democratic checks. The decision legitimized authoritarian constitutional interpretations and bolstered the “unitary executive” doctrine long favored by nationalist populists.
Other Pivotal Cases
New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022) struck down key gun control laws, energizing Second Amendment absolutists.
303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023) allowed anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination under free speech claims.
Student loan relief rulings blocked Joe Biden’s debt cancellation efforts, framing it as executive overreach.
Criminalizing Immigration
Despite overwhelming evidence that undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans, the right-wing has persistently pushed a narrative linking unauthorized immigration to violent crime. This tactic is not about public safety but about using fear to control the political agenda.
Tragedies like the murders of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray, both committed by undocumented immigrants, were immediately seized upon by Republican politicians and media to reinforce a myth that immigrants are inherently dangerous. While tragic, these cases are statistical outliers—not representative of broader immigration trends. Yet the right exploited them to pass the Laken Riley Act, a sweeping law that mandates federal detention of undocumented immigrants charged—not convicted—with certain crimes.
Donald Trump and the MAGA movement frame immigration as an existential threat, equating it with lawlessness, moral decline, and terrorism. Their messaging relies on sensationalized media coverage, cherry-picked anecdotes, and racist tropes, ignoring decades of research showing that immigration does not increase crime—and, in some cases, reduces it.
Sanctuary cities are not more dangerous. Immigration enforcement has no measurable impact on crime rates. Native-born Americans are more likely to commit violent crimes than undocumented immigrants. Yet by portraying immigrants as violent criminals, the right justifies harsh policies, energizes their political base, and deflects attention from systemic failures. The real threat to public safety isn't undocumented immigration—it's fear mongering.
Russian Invasion
On February 24, 2022, Russian forces under President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest war in Europe since World War II. The assault began with missile strikes across major cities, followed by a multi-front ground invasion aimed at overthrowing Ukraine's democratically elected government. The war has led to tens of thousands of civilian deaths and the displacement of over 10 million people. Russia's invasion is a clear act of imperial aggression by an authoritarian regime seeking to erase Ukrainian sovereignty, culture, and independence. Criticism of Putin must never justify xenophobia against the Russian people. There is a global moral and legal imperative to condemn the Kremlin's war crimes and expansionist ambitions.
The Biden administration, initially backed by broad bipartisan support, provided more than $75 billion in military, humanitarian, and financial aid to Ukraine. However, prominent far-right figures, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Tucker Carlson, and Donald Trump, began openly opposing continued support, often repeating narratives that align with Kremlin propaganda. These included portraying Ukraine as corrupt or undeserving of aid and accusing the U.S. government of prioritizing a foreign war over domestic concerns. Figures from the reactionary left, such as Jimmy Dore, Max Blumenthal, and The Grayzone, amplified conspiracy theories blaming NATO expansion for the war, downplayed or denied Russian atrocities, and framed Ukraine as a Western puppet state. This ideological "campism" dangerously distorts the reality that Ukraine is waging a defensive war against a nuclear-armed imperial power attempting to dismantle its democratic society. Ukraine continues to receive support from a broad coalition of democratic governments, human rights organizations, anti-authoritarian movements, and labor activists worldwide.
Zionism and Genocide
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launched a coordinated and deadly attack on southern Israel, killing over 1,100 Israelis, most of them civilians, and taking approximately 250 hostages. It was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. The attack was shocking and horrific in its impact, but it cannot be understood in isolation from decades of Israeli occupation, siege, apartheid policies, and military aggression against the Palestinian people. Antisemitism must be unequivocally condemned in all its forms. At the same time, criticism of Israel's government and its ongoing occupation must not be falsely equated with antisemitism, particularly when raised in defense of oppressed and colonized people.
What has followed since October 7 is a military onslaught of catastrophic proportions against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, with full political, financial, and military support from the Biden administration and the Democratic Partyestablishment. Over 54,000 Palestinians have been massacred, with a staggering majority being women and children. Gaza's civilian infrastructure has been decimated; hospitals, schools, mosques, bakeries, and entire neighborhoods have been systematically bombed. The region has been plunged into mass starvation, with aid convoys blocked, humanitarian workers killed, and entire families buried beneath rubble. In the West Bank, settler violence and military raids have intensified.
Genocidal campaign in Gaza, vetoing UN ceasefire resolutions, dismissing ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahuand Yoav Gallant, and approving billions in weapons used to devastate civilian infrastructure. Backed by ultranationalist Israeli ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu's far-right government has overseen the mass deaths of over 54,000 Palestinians. Prominent Democrats—including Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, John Fetterman, Ritchie Torres, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz—have echoed or supported this policy, while others, such as Cory Bookerand Kamala Harris, ultimately back the same war machinery. Their actions reveal deep complicity in apartheid, settler colonialism, and genocide.
Joe Biden 2024 Presidential Campaign
Joe Biden's 2024 re-election campaign has launched, and from the start, it has been overshadowed by concerns about his age, cognitive health, and a lack of voter enthusiasm. Framed as a "finish the job" and "stop Trump" campaign, they were unable to communicate a convincing vision for the future beyond opposition to Trump. Biden's emphasis on legislative achievements, such as the Inflation Reduction Act and infrastructure spending, has failed to alleviate growing economic anxiety, political polarization, and frustration among progressives over his record on policing, immigration, and foreign policy, particularly his unwavering support for arming Israel.
The campaign unraveled after Biden's disastrous debate performance in June 2024, which heightened public and party concern over his ability to serve. He ended his campaign in July and endorsed Kamala Harris, triggering a rushed and controversial transition. Critics condemned the handoff as undemocratic and emblematic of a party establishment unable to reconcile generational and ideological divides. The campaign revealed the fragility of Democratic leadership and its struggle to adapt to the demands of the political moment.
Kamala Harris 2024 Presidential Campaign
Kamala Harris launched her 2024 presidential campaign on July 21, following President Joe Biden's withdrawal and endorsement. She quickly secured the Democratic nomination and selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a moderate progressive, as her running mate. Harris's campaign initially emphasized a populist economic platform, proposing measures such as banning grocery price gouging, providing up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, and offering a $6,000 child tax credit during a child's first year of life. Harris’s domestic agenda also included support for abortion rights, climate legislation, and voting protections. She maintained strong backing for U.S. military aid to Ukraine and Israel while publicly advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution.
Despite raising over $1 billion in three months, the campaign faced challenges in maintaining momentum. Efforts to appeal to a conservative electorate included campaigning alongside prominent anti-Trump Republicans like Liz Cheney in an attempt to position Harris as a unifying candidate. However, this strategy alienated parts of the Democratic base.
Kamala Harris adopted a more enforcement-focused immigration policy, emphasizing increased border security and stricter asylum rules. This drew criticism from immigrant rights groups and progressive Democrats as a departure from humanitarian values. Her continued support for U.S. military aid to Israel, despite calls for a permanent ceasefire, also sparked dissatisfaction among key constituencies, especially in swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.
On November 5, 2024, Harris was defeated by Donald Trump, winning only 226 electoral votes to Trump’s 312. Analyses point to decreased support among young voters and communities of color as key factors contributing to the Democratic loss.
Donald Trump 2024 Presidential Campaign
Donald Trump launched his 2024 campaign on November 15, 2022, immediately following disappointing midterm results for the GOP. Despite multiple criminal indictments, Trump quickly reasserted control over the Republican base, presenting himself as both martyr and savior.
His campaign revolved around reframing his legal troubles—including four major indictments and a historic felony conviction—as political persecution. This strategy galvanized his supporters, fueled record-setting fundraising, and deepened the cult-like devotion around his political brand. A failed assassination attempt in July 2024 only intensified the messianic tone of his campaign.
Elon Musk emerged as a key backer, donating nearly $288 million and using his control of X (formerly Twitter) to flood the platform with pro-Trump propaganda. Musk reinstated extremist accounts, downranked critical media, and publicly announced his desire to lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” under a second Trump administration.
While Trump released a formal policy platform titled Agenda 47, the ideological backbone of the campaign was Project 2025, a sweeping plan developed by the Heritage Foundation and other far-right think tanks to purge the federal government, expand executive power, criminalize gender-affirming care, and dismantle civil rights protections. Key architects of Project 2025 were already embedded in Trump’s transition team.
Trump bypassed traditional media by appearing on podcasts and livestreams hosted by figures like Adin Ross, Andrew Tate, and Patrick Bet-David, reaching millions of young, disaffected men in spaces untouched by journalistic oversight. His campaign also deployed AI-generated propaganda and micro-influencer campaigns targeting Arab American, Latino, Black, and working-class voters disillusioned by Democratic leadership—especially over the war in Gaza and policing.
Trump won the election with 312 electoral votes and 49.8% of the popular vote, becoming the first Republican since George W. Bush to win both. With J. D. Vance as vice president, the Republican Party formally embraced nationalist populism. Trump’s second victory sealed the transformation of the GOP into an illiberal political movement defined by retribution, Christian nationalism, digital authoritarianism, and post-truth media.
The Killing of Brian Thompson
The assassination of UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, allegedly by Luigi Mangione, sparked a profound public reaction, exposing deep-seated frustrations with the health care system in the United States and broader socioeconomic disparities. While many elites condemned the act as indefensible violence, a significant component of the populace expressed sympathy for Mangione, viewing his actions as a manifestation of anger toward the corrupt health insurance cartel. Social media platforms were flooded with posts criticizing the industry’s practices, particularly insurance claim denials, with some users lauding Mangione as a folk hero. This reaction highlights a growing class consciousness as people increasingly recognize that corporate entities prioritize profits over the well-being of individuals.
UnitedHealth Group faced a class-action lawsuit from investors alleging the company misled them about the financial impact of the backlash following Thompson's death. Other health insurance companies reassessed their corporate securitymeasures for executives in light of potential threats stemming from public outrage.
The emergence of support movements for Mangione and discourse surrounding the ethics of the healthcare system suggests a noteworthy shift in public consciousness. This event may be viewed historically as a catalyst for examining the intersections of corporate accountability, healthcare accessibility, and socioeconomic inequality in the United States.
Key Figures
Enrique Tarrio – Chairman of the Proud Boys; convicted of seditious conspiracy related to the January 6 Capitol attack.
Stewart Rhodes – Founder of the Oath Keepers; also convicted for seditious conspiracy for his role in January 6.
Chaya Raichik – Creator of @LibsOfTikTok, central figure in the online anti-LGBTQ+ harassment campaign.
Matt Walsh – Right-wing commentator and leading anti-trans activist using stochastic terrorism rhetoric.
Marjorie Taylor Greene – Congresswoman pushing QAnon, anti-trans, and authoritarian talking points.
Elon Musk – Acquired Twitter (now X) in 2022; reinstated far-right figures, promoted antisemitic conspiracy posts, and normalized hate speech.
Ye (Kanye West) – Went on antisemitic tirades, praised Hitler, dined with Holocaust deniers; inspired real-world hate acts.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Spread COVID conspiracies and antisemitic biological theories while running for president.
Tucker Carlson – Pushed Great Replacement theory and anti-Ukraine propaganda on Fox News.
Candace Owens – Amplified Ye’s antisemitic rhetoric and downplayed white supremacy’s impact.
Andrew Tate – Arrested for human trafficking; remains a cultural icon for the manosphere.
Nick Fuentes – Increased influence through podcasting, ties with Trump, and overt fascist rhetoric.
Ron DeSantis – Passed extreme anti-trans, anti-immigration, and anti-education laws in Florida.
Hannah Pearl Davis – Promotes anti-feminist, antisemitic, and pro-traditionalist ideologies via YouTube.
Adin Ross – Platforms far-right voices and incel rhetoric to massive Gen Z audience.
Donald Trump – Won the 2024 presidential election; pardoned January 6 convicts; central figure in authoritarian movement.
Kamala Harris – Failed in presidential bid after Biden’s dropout; criticized for right-leaning positions.
J. D. Vance – Trump’s VP pick; openly embraces replacement theory and social conservatism.
Vivek Ramaswamy – Reinforces far-right conspiracism under libertarian-entrepreneurial branding.
Joe Biden – Served as president from 2021 to 2025; widely criticized by progressives for expanding border security, approving fossil fuel projects, and continuing U.S. military aid to Israel during the Gaza war.
January 6 Capitol Insurrection (2021) – Violent attempt to overturn the 2020 election; involved Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, QAnon, and MAGA extremists.
COVID-19 Misinformation Surge (2021) – COVID denialism and vaccine conspiracy theories merged with far-right rhetoric on personal liberty and state power.
Online Radicalization and Stochastic Terrorism (2021) – Online radicalization peaked, leading to stochastic terror attacks and school board confrontations over critical race theory and trans rights.
BLM Backlash and Protest Restrictions (2021) – Backlash against Black Lives Matter consolidated into new state laws restricting protest and pushing law-and-order narratives.
Elon Musk's Acquisition of Twitter (2022) – Resulted in policy changes that allowed far-right content to thrive.
Ye's Antisemitic Controversies (2022) – Ye’s antisemitic meltdown became a mainstream media and cultural flashpoint for far-right normalization.
Buffalo Shooting (2022) – White supremacist attack citing Great Replacement theory.
Mainstreaming of Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories (2022) – Antisemitic conspiracy theories gained mainstream traction through political figures and media personalities.
Allen, TX Mass Shooting (2023) – Tied to incel and white supremacist ideology.
Florida's Anti-Trans Legislation (2023) – Florida expanded anti-trans legislation and introduced new history curriculum downplaying slavery.
Manosphere Ideologies in Public Spaces (2023) – Manosphere ideas surfaced in schools and public spaces, spreading misogynistic slogans.
Great Replacement Theory-Inspired Hate Crimes (2023) – Great Replacement theory cited in Jacksonville and other hate crimes.
October 7 Hamas Attack and Gaza War (2023–2024) – Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel sparked a devastating Israeli assault on Gaza, resulting in mass civilian casualties and genocide allegations from international bodies.
Trump's 2024 Presidential Victory (2024) – Trump defeated Harris in the presidential election; the GOP took control of the executive branch.
Mass Pardons for January 6 Participants (2024) – Trump issued mass pardons for January 6 participants and began historical revisionism.
Expansion of Anti-Trans Laws (2024) – States expanded anti-trans laws; some targeted adults and providers retroactively.
Gaza Conflict and U.S. Political Disillusionment (2024) – The Gaza conflict and U.S. complicity provoked mass protest and political disillusionment among youth.
This overview of the American far right continues in Part V: 2024–Present, to be published in a forthcoming post.