The Atlantic

The Alt-Right’s Tactical Cruelty

The so-called alt-right is characterized not only by its ideology, but also by the cruelty of its tactics. Trump and his allies embrace those tactics.
Source: Steve Helber / AP

Donald Trump’s rise triggered a debate about the so-called alt-right, how best to define it, and its role in the American political theater. Broadly speaking, two poles dominate that debate, as most of the public focuses its fleeting attention elsewhere.

One side defines the alt-right broadly enough that it encompasses large swaths of the Republican Party, the conservative movement, and Trump supporters. And it regards all three groups as discredited by the alt-right’s racist ideology.

The other

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