Trump News

Far-right extremists trading in outright "bigotry" are infiltrating and raising their profiles in the Republican Party ranks, and GOP leaders are sounding the alarm — but Donald Trump is giving them a pass.

According to The Washington Post, 23-year-old Alec Beaton epitomizes the problem. He has solid GOP credentials: former precinct delegate, county Republican youth chair, and Trump 2024 campaign field operative in Michigan. He's also a self-described Holocaust "revisionist" who treats Hitler praise as entertainment.

"We don't think Hitler is, like, the worst person ever," Beaton said while circulating through a national young conservatives conference, accompanied by an acquaintance working for the host organization, Turning Point USA.

"We influence the room," Beaton boasted, identifying as a groyper. "We have the power and influence to come in here, and they respect it."

Party insiders dismiss figures like Beaton as marginal players unrepresentative of mainstream Republicanism. But anxiety is spreading through GOP ranks. Leaked offensive group chats and escalating disputes over acceptable political boundaries are exposing a deeper problem: the party's young far-right contingent is gaining traction.

The real concern centers on white-supremacist influencer Nick Fuentes, who targets disaffected young men and has expressed his worldview bluntly: "Jews are running society, women need to shut the f--- up, Blacks need to be imprisoned for the most part, and we would live in paradise." This month, the College Republicans of America appointed a longtime Fuentes devotee as their political director.

The GOP is fracturing over how aggressively to confront this radicalization. Some Republicans dismiss Fuentes and his ilk as irrelevant online noise — infiltrators sabotaging the party. Others warn the movement has real momentum and demands forceful expulsion from the GOP.

The underlying threat concerns Republicans: the online ecosystem financially rewards extremism through clicks, likes, and followers.

"The migration of our politics online has created a perverse incentive structure," said David Brog, founding president of the foundation behind the annual National Conservatism Conference. "If you voice anti-Israel and antisemitic views, you get an instant reward in the form of clicks, likes and follows. This fuels the fallacy that the activist base of the party shares these views."

"So ambitious politicians and commentators trying to position themselves to lead 'America First' are misreading these digital leaves," Brog continued, "and coming to some deeply flawed conclusions."

The California Republican Party last month distributed a memo to state GOP leaders warning that groypers were securing party positions and running for office, demanding organized resistance.

"A radical and divisive iteration of 'America First' ideology is growing within the ranks of the Right wing in American politics that is directly at odds with the core founding principles of the United States Constitution," the memo stated. "The effects of this movement on our conservative American youth cannot be ignored."

California GOP Vice Chair John Park acknowledged the urgency. "This is one of those situations where silence is consent," he said, though he cautioned against overstating the problem's scale.

Trump, however, is taking the opposite approach. Asked about former Fox News host Tucker Carlson's decision to interview Fuentes, Trump offered a non-answer that functioned as tacit approval.

"I don't know much about him," Trump said of Fuentes — a claim contradicted by their 2022 dinner meeting, an incident that sparked widespread outrage.

Surgeon General nominee Dr. Casey Means is running out of runway — growing Republican defections on the Senate health committee have left her without the votes needed to advance, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The healthy food advocate, championed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., currently lacks sufficient GOP support to move forward, forcing Kennedy allies to scramble behind the scenes, working the phones to pressure wavering Republican senators.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Means needs unanimous Republican support from the health committee if all Democrats oppose her nomination, as expected. She doesn't have it.

The standstill leaves no clear path to confirmation.

Several Republican health committee members have signaled serious doubts without publicly committing their votes, including Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana (the committee chairman), Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine.

Even if Means clears committee, her prospects on the full Senate floor look bleak. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has indicated he's leaning toward voting no. Other Republicans seen as likely defectors include Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who voted against Kennedy's HHS confirmation due to Kennedy's vaccine skepticism. Means can afford to lose only three Republican votes if all Democrats vote against her.

When asked if Means had the committee votes, Cassidy declined to say: "I just have nothing to say on that right now."

Kennedy's allies are now in full pressure mode. Tony Lyons, a Kennedy confidant who leads nonprofit groups supporting the MAHA movement, urged supporters during a recent livestream to mobilize.

"I encourage all of you to call your senators and tell them that you want to see Dr. Means confirmed as soon as possible," Lyons said. "I have no doubt that she'll lead the charge towards empowering Americans to take control of their health."

McConnell's opposition carries particular weight — he was the sole Republican who voted against Kennedy's HHS confirmation. Cassidy, however, expressed reservations but ultimately joined Collins, Murkowski, Tillis and other Republicans in supporting Kennedy's confirmation. The Louisiana senator faces a difficult primary challenge where Trump has backed his opponent, making him unlikely to break ranks with the president.