The Patriot Movement’s creep into the GOP mainstream formed the war on democracy’s nexus
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You’ll often hear hardcore right-wing Trumpists refer to themselves as “patriots.” Repeatedly. Donald Trump himself regularly refers to his devoted followers the same way. And because the word has a common, generic meaning, most of us glance over its usThe Patriot Movement’s creep into the GOP mainstream formed the war on democracy’s nexus
You’ll often hear hardcore right-wing Trumpists refer to themselves as “patriots.” Repeatedly. Donald Trump himself regularly refers to his devoted followers the same way. And because the word has a common, generic meaning, most of us glance over its use without giving it much attention. We should be, because the word is actually a kind of code, a signal of team membership. Certainly, its use has an obvious propaganda purpose: If the people who support Trump are “patriots,” then his opponents by right-wing logic must be unpatriotic and unAmerican. But more importantly, identifying as one signals to others your affiliation with the far-right “Patriot Movement”—better known to some as the militia movement or “constitutionalists.” And understanding this is central to understanding that this movement is the nexus of the right’s insurgent war on democracy. Read more