Does America Have A Nazi Problem?

When Elon Musk took the stage at Donald Trump's second inauguration rally in January 2025 and raised his right arm in what many interpreted as a Roman (or Nazi) salute, ^[1]Associated Press, Jan 21, 2025: "Musk's straight-arm gesture embraced by right-wing extremists regardless of what he meant." the images went viral. Social media feeds filled with stills and videos. Some right-wing extremists openly embraced it. The symbolism, intentional or not, landed with an audience primed to recognize it.

Germany's reaction was swift. In a country where Nazi symbols are banned, politicians and Jewish organizations condemned the gesture. ^[2]The Guardian, Jan 22, 2025: "'The gesture speaks for itself': Germans respond to Musk's apparent Nazi salute." Musk dismissed the criticism as a "gesture from the heart," but the far right online treated it as confirmation: their worldview had been flashed from one of the richest men on Earth.

Within days, Laura Smith, vice chair of the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors in Pennsylvania, resigned after posting a TikTok of herself imitating the salute. ^[3]The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan 26, 2025: "Towamencin supervisor resigns after giving Nazi-like salute in TikTok video." At CPAC, Steve Bannon was caught on video performing a similar motion from the stage. ^[4]Reuters, Feb 21, 2025: "France's Bardella cancels CPAC speech over Bannon 'Nazi salute'."

In August 2025, Nebraska GOP communications director Haile McAnally came under fire after images circulated of her raising her arm in a similar fashion. ^[5]Newsweek, Aug 5, 2025: "Nebraska Republican denies doing a 'Nazi salute' in viral photo." McAnally denied any Nazi connotation, but the incident followed a familiar cycle on the right: a public figure or copy-cat makes a gesture with clear extremist associations; critics call it out; and the accused reframes themselves as a victim of "woke" overreach. The outrage that follows becomes the point: weaponized to both shield the original act from accountability and to turn it into a rallying banner for the base.

Outside of party leadership, these salutes have been repeatedly documented in the stands at political rallies, among street protest groups, and in viral livestreams. Researchers tracking extremist activity note that the spread of the gesture mirrors how other hate symbols migrate from fringe forums into public life: first as provocation, then as a badge of in-group identity.

These incidents don't exist in isolation. Organized neo-Nazi groups such as Blood Tribe, Patriot Front, and The Base are appearing more frequently at public events. They march with swastika flags, harass journalists, and disrupt LGBTQ+ gatherings. ^[6]NHPR, Aug 2, 2025: "Police investigating actions of neo-Nazi group in downtown Concord."

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports that 2024 saw a record number of antisemitic incidents overall, including hundreds of propaganda incidents linked to white supremacist groups. ^[7]Associated Press, Apr 22, 2025: "ADL: 2024 antisemitic incidents hit record; 962 propaganda incidents tied to white supremacist groups."

Federal agencies have acknowledged the scale of the threat. DHS’s Homeland Threat Assessment 2025 assesses a heightened domestic violent extremist threat, including racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs). A June 22, 2025 NTAS bulletin describes a heightened threat environment tied to the Iran conflict and provides public safety guidance, while an earlier May 24, 2023 bulletin described lone offenders as a “persistent and lethal” threat. ^[8]DHS, Sept 30, 2024: "Homeland Threat Assessment 2025." ^[8c]DHS NTAS Bulletin, June 22, 2025. ^[8a]DHS NTAS Bulletin, May 24, 2023: “The United States remains in a heightened threat environment… DVEs pose a persistent and lethal threat.”

The FBI has similarly warned that violent extremists increasingly radicalize online and via social platforms and encrypted channels. ^[8b]FBI/DHS Strategic Intelligence Assessment on Domestic Terrorism, 2023.

Social media platforms are accelerating the problem. X (formerly Twitter) and Rumble have hosted and monetized extremist content in the past. Media Matters documented pre-roll ads on Rumble videos from creators spreading antisemitism, ^[9]Media Matters, Oct 16, 2023: "Rumble is profiting from creators who spread antisemitism." and Reuters reported that a Media Matters investigation found major brands' ads appearing next to extremist posts on X, prompting advertiser pullbacks and litigation. ^[10]Reuters, Nov 21, 2023: "X sues Media Matters after report about ads next to antisemitic content."

The Republican Party's right flank increasingly overlaps with these extremist spaces through shared events, online interactions, and staff crossovers. While some condemnations occur, they are often tepid, delayed, or undercut by simultaneous signaling to the same audiences.

The result is a feedback loop: extremist rhetoric enters mainstream channels, receives minimal pushback, and emboldens further escalation. Symbols once relegated to the margins are now used on political stages. Movements that were once fringe now have monetized platforms, sympathetic lawmakers, and recruitment pipelines.

Whether through complacency, opportunism, or ideological alignment, parts of America's political and media ecosystem are providing space for explicitly fascist messaging to grow. Federal agencies warn the threat is here. Incidents keep multiplying. And without a decisive, unified response, the normalization will only deepen.