The article, in a quick summary, states that during Trump’s presidency, he has given White Supremacists comfort to come out from behind masks and view immigrants as the new threat.
The article talks about a tweet President Donald Trump made after the attack in New Zealand where he call out “Fake News Media” for blaming him for the attack in New Zealand. The writer, Felicia Persuad, argues that it is Trump’s fault for what has happened stating that he has given White Supremacists courage to come out and attack immigrants since the start of his presidency in 2016. The man accused of the murder of 50 immigrants in a Christ-Church mosque wrote in his manifesto that Trump is “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” With Trump making comments about “building the wall,” and banning Muslims from entering, he is giving White Supremacists gas to the fire, giving them a reason to hate. The article compares the sudden growth of hate groups as a growing terror that should be compared to ISIS. In 2017, FBI records indicate 7,175 hate crimes were reported across the U.S. with 34 being specifically from white supremacist groups. That would be about 20 hate crimes a day, not to mention social media bullying and harassment (specifically racist comments) have increased drastically.
The writer attacks the Trump administration for how it’s been running things since its inauguration in 2016. She states that the hate groups are not small but large and must be hunted down and note overlooked as Trump as done so far.