The 'Far Right' in America: A Brief Taxonomy

Donald Trump’s election to the presidency has elevated a set of radical groups, generally understood to be on the extreme right of the American political spectrum, to their greatest prominence in the modern era. Some mainstream publications have struggled to describe these disparate groups, especially those that openly espouse racism.

To help understand the distinctions and relationships between these groups, here’s a brief taxonomy.

White supremacists and white nationalists

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, there are between them. White supremacists believe that people of