{"id":4339,"date":"2026-06-09T18:48:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/09\/hard-right-groups-have-expanded-their-influence-across-us-government-report-finds\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T18:48:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:48:42","slug":"hard-right-groups-have-expanded-their-influence-across-us-government-report-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=4339","title":{"rendered":"Hard-right groups have expanded their influence across US government, report finds"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1ma2nzf\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"9a03441e-5fb9-46ea-bfcd-667cc791eb4c\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"government buildings\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/697618c2136e2cfcd94d5ff458867d7f05f9dc5b\/0_0_3334_2667\/master\/3334.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.9721055788842\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The Capitol Dome and the US Senate are seen as the Senate participates in a series of votes on a bill that would fund ICE and border patrol in Washington DC on 4 June 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Bonnie Cash\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"9a03441e-5fb9-46ea-bfcd-667cc791eb4c\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The Capitol Dome and the US Senate are seen as the Senate participates in a series of votes on a bill that would fund ICE and border patrol in Washington DC on 4 June 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Bonnie Cash\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1jwoxwb\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Hard-right groups have expanded their influence across US government, report finds<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Southern Poverty Law Center releases report as US government pursues federal fraud charges against group<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-pzh79o\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/01\/southern-poverty-law-doj-investigation\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">SPLC<\/a>) finds hard-right groups have increasingly expanded their influence across the US government, which is pursuing a federal fraud case into the civil rights organization.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Tuesday\u2019s report \u2013 which identified 1,263 hate and anti-government groups in operation throughout 2025 \u2013 comes less than two months after it was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/apr\/21\/splc-fraud-charges-explained\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">indicted<\/a> by the government it says the hard right has infiltrated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.splcenter.org\/resources\/reports\/policy-shifts-favor-extremists\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">According to<\/a> the SPLC\u2019s annual Year in Hate and Extremism report, Donald Trump\u2019s administration has \u201cradically transformed government policy in favor of far-right interests and individuals\u201d since the start of his second presidency in early 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In addition to the administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jan\/20\/trump-executive-orders-jan-6-pardons\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">\u201cfull, complete and unconditional\u201d<\/a> presidential pardons of approximately 1,500 people involved in the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021, the report cited the administration\u2019s shifting the focus of federal law enforcement from combating violent crime to conducting immigration raids against marginalized communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The report said 23% of all FBI agents have been reassigned to immigration enforcement, leading to the stripping of personnel from other areas including white-collar crime, counter-terrorism, organized crime and cybercrime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe Trump administration\u2019s shift away from traditional law enforcement priorities, staffing and funding, along with its embrace of dangerously aggressive and reckless immigration enforcement tactics, has made US citizens less safe and more likely to be victimized,\u201d the report asserted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It also said that the administration has \u201cdownplayed the threat of right-wing extremist violence\u201d \u2013 and in the process has increased the threat posed by far-right extremism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The report pointed to the US Senate\u2019s confirmation of senior administration officials including defense secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI director Kash Patel and former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent, all of whom have espoused <a href=\"https:\/\/www.splcenter.org\/resources\/hatewatch\/bigoted-beliefs-racist-ties-found-among-president-trumps-appointees\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">racist and misogynistic views.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In addition to the administration\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/national-security\/5241541-dhs-fbi-domestic-terrorism-program-cuts-democrats-letters\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> dismantlement <\/a>of a national database that tracked domestic terrorism and hate crimes, the SPLC report cited the justice department\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/sep\/17\/justice-department-study-far-right-extremist-violence\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">removal<\/a> of a peer-reviewed study from its website that found far-right attacks continue to \u201coutpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The report also cited a rise in younger, digitally savvy rightwingers who have been \u201cgranted unprecedented access to the federal government, gained political power in exchange for creating content that helped sell the administration\u2019s policies targeting immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, women and poor folks\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.splcenter.org\/resources\/reports\/an-influential-time\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">pointed to <\/a> conservative influencer Andy Ngo, who told Trump during a roundtable in October that \u201cperhaps the state department should designate Antifa \u2013 its international arm \u2013 a foreign terrorist organization\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The report noted Trump\u2019s response: \u201cWould you like to see it done? You think it would help? I\u2019d be glad to do it. I think it\u2019s the kind of thing I\u2019d like to do. Does everybody agree? If you agree, I agree. Let\u2019s get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Antifa is a reference to the anti-fascist movement. After the roundtable, the Trump-led US state department<a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/releases\/office-of-the-spokesperson\/2025\/11\/designations-of-antifa-ost-and-three-other-violent-antifa-groups\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> declared <\/a>four leftwing military groups as foreign terrorist organizations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The SPLC report said: \u201cThroughout 2025, the administration and its allies leaned on an increasingly extreme set of influencers to sell their reactionary, hierarchical vision of the world to a younger generation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In a statement accompanying the report, Erin Wilson, director of the SPLC\u2019s intelligence project, urged the public to act on the rising threat of hard-right groups, saying: \u201cCommunities are facing the harsh realities of this hard-right power grab. From kitchen table conversations to mass-mobilizing marches, everyone has a role to play right now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere is power in civic engagement and everyday acts of solidarity, education and action.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1xavc9x\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/far-right--us-\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Far right (US)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/civil-rights-movement\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Civil rights movement<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Hard-right%20groups%20have%20expanded%20their%20influence%20across%20US%20government,%20report%20finds&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/09\/splc-report-far-right-groups-trump-administration?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjun%2F09%2Fsplc-report-far-right-groups-trump-administration&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jun\/09\/splc-report-far-right-groups-trump-administration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-babllm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Capitol Dome and the US Senate are seen as the Senate participates in a series of votes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}