KKK Rebrands as 'The Knights Party' in Bid for New Foothold in America

For decades, experts have warned of the rise of white supremacy in the United States, in part influenced by political figures such as President Donald Trump. This year, the Public Religion Research Institute published a survey of more than 20,000 American adults, asking them to assess the statement: "Immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background." The results showed that 32 percent of respondents — nearly one-third — agreed with that view.

That belief is the foundation of the "great replacement" theory, a conspiracy theory holding that immigrants, Jews and non-white groups are seeking to replace white people in the West. Critics accuse right-wing leaders such as Trump of normalizing the view through statements describing immigration as an "invasion" and an "attack on Western countries." Trump has also been criticized for his close ties to white nationalists, having dined in 2022 with Nick Fuentes — a Holocaust denier and a key figure in the movement — and after the deadly clash between protesters and white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, he said there were "fine people on both sides."

Al Jazeera correspondent Phil Lavelle traveled to Boone County, Arkansas, to find out whether one of the most notorious white supremacist organizations in US history is gaining influence during Trump's second term. There he met Thomas Robb, the head of the group once known as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan — a white supremacist group founded by David Duke in the 1970s.

What Lavelle found was a group apparently eager to rebrand. It has shortened its name to The Knights Party, and members told the correspondent they are trying to bring their message back to a focus on family and faith. But when Lavelle asked whether a Black person would be welcome at the group's church, Robb's answer was simple: "No. Because this is a white nationalist church."

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) has a long history of racism and violence in the United States. The movement began at the end of the Civil War in 1865, in reaction to government efforts to expand citizenship rights for Black people and other minority groups. Through lynchings and deliberate acts of violence, the KKK sought to block non-white participation in government and to preserve racial division.

Robb, a Christian pastor, took over the leadership of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan — a faction of the KKK — in 1989. Since then, he has tried to broaden the group's appeal. He changed his title from "grand wizard" to "national director," allowed new members to join quietly by mail, and publicly distanced the group from KKK violence in its outreach campaigns. Even so, he has remained loyal to the organization's trademark racist philosophy.

Asked about politicians such as Zohran Mamdani or Abdul El-Sayed — two prominent Muslim figures — Robb said: "First of all, they're not American." When Lavelle pointed out that El-Sayed was born in Michigan, Robb dismissed the contradiction: "I don't care where he was born. He's not American." He then drew a distinction between the children of white and non-white immigrants, arguing that only the children of white foreigners can be American "because they're white."

The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is one of dozens of white supremacist organizations active in the United States. The Southern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy group, estimates that at least 152 such groups are operating, part of an upward trend over the past decade. Recently, another white supremacist group, Patriot Front, marched through Washington, DC, over the Independence Day holiday.

Critics say Trump sometimes echoes their rhetoric. Trump told The New York Times earlier this year that "white people are treated very badly" in fields such as academia. He has also directed his second administration to dismantle diversity initiatives, and under his leadership the government has opened investigations into whether universities and companies such as Nike discriminate against white people. In addition, Trump has given priority to white South Africans in refugee admissions, on the false claim that they are victims of "genocide."

Robb argues that the current wave of white nationalism began before Trump, in 2008, under America's first Black president, Barack Obama. "People started getting stirred up and angry about what they saw happening to the country," Robb said. "So we're somewhat a voice for that."

Yet Robb acknowledges that the public remains hesitant to join a white supremacist group like his: "As far as people actually becoming members, that's a line that sometimes they're a little hesitant to cross." He also declined to provide membership numbers or evidence for his claim that support for his movement "is growing." "Maybe we're wrong. Maybe people hate us. I don't know," Robb said.