Ali Breland on Why It’s Important to Cover the Online Far Right

An Atlantic reporter says far-right influencers such as Nick Fuentes offer clues to where US politics is going.

Donald Trump’s second term has been defined by a symbiotic relationship with right-wing influencers, podcasters, and self-labeled journalists. Joe Rogan helped his reelection campaign reach young male voters. A week after Trump returned to office, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, designated seats for “new media” in the press briefing room. Less than a year later, the corridors of Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon belong to right-wing reporters and podcasters, following the exodus of legacy media. A MAGA influencer’s video triggered an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

Trump and his creator crew have risen together. And as the president’s policies have grown more outlandish, so have those who purport to cover them. In January, clips of several right-wing influencers dancing to Ye’s “Heil Hitler” in a Miami nightclub suddenly went viral. The cast of characters that night included Andrew and Tristan Tate, right-wing internet stars and self-described misogynists; Nick Fuentes, a white-nationalist online streamer; and Braden Peters, a twenty-year-old online streamer who goes by the name Clavicular. In the weeks since, Clavicular has become ubiquitous. He walked the runway at Fashion Week, appeared as a guest on The Adam Friedland Show, and was profiled by the New York Times.