KKK-Linked Group Rebrands as 'The Knights Party' as Experts Warn of White Supremacist Resurgence in Trump Era

A white supremacist organization formerly known as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan has rebranded itself as "The Knights Party" in an apparent effort to broaden its appeal, according to an Al Jazeera investigation that sent correspondent Phil Lavelle to Boone County, Arkansas, to examine whether the infamous hate group has gained influence midway through President Donald Trump's second term.

The group, a KKK faction founded in the 1970s by former Klan leader David Duke, has shortened its name and, according to members who spoke with Lavelle, is attempting to re-center its messaging around themes of family and faith. The rebranding effort reflects a long-standing strategy by such organizations to present a more palatable public face while maintaining their core ideology.

That ideology remains explicitly racist. When Lavelle asked Thomas Robb, who has led the faction since 1989, whether a Black person would be welcome at the group's church, Robb's response was unequivocal. "No," he said, "because this is a white nationalist church."

Robb, who serves as a Christian pastor, has made various changes over the decades to soften the group's image. He changed his title from "grand wizard" to "national director," introduced confidential mail-in membership, and publicly distanced himself from KKK violence in outreach campaigns. Yet he continues to espouse the same racist philosophy, telling Lavelle that Muslim American politicians such as Zohran Mamdani and Abdul El-Sayed are "not Americans," even after being reminded that El-Sayed was born in Michigan. Robb dismissed the point entirely, saying he does not care where El-Sayed was born and drawing a distinction that only children of white immigrants can be considered American "because they're white."

The original KKK emerged at the end of the Civil War in 1865, formed in reaction to government efforts to extend civil rights to Black people and other minority groups. Through lynchings and targeted violence, the organization sought to prevent non-white participation in government and to preserve racial hierarchies. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan faction is one of at least 152 white supremacist groups the Southern Poverty Law Center estimates are currently active in the United States, part of what the advocacy organization describes as a rising trend over the past decade.

The Al Jazeera report situates the group's rebranding within a broader political environment that experts say has emboldened white nationalists. A 2025 survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, which polled more than 20,000 US adults, found that 32 percent of respondents — nearly one in three — agreed with the statement that immigrants are "invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background." That belief forms the foundation of the so-called great replacement theory, a conspiracy that falsely claims immigrants, Jews, and nonwhite groups are seeking to supplant white people in Western nations.

Critics have accused Trump of normalizing such views through rhetoric that characterizes immigration as an "invasion" and "an assault on Western countries." The president has also faced allegations of cozying up to white nationalists, including a 2022 dinner with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, a prominent figure in the movement. After white nationalists clashed violently with protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, Trump said there were "fine people on both sides."

The investigation notes that Trump told The New York Times earlier this year that "white people were very badly treated" in fields such as academia. He has also directed his administration to dismantle diversity initiatives and launched probes into whether universities and companies, including Nike, discriminate against white people. Additionally, his administration has prioritized white South Africans in refugee admissions, falsely claiming they are victims of a "genocide."

The broader landscape of white supremacist activity has remained visible. Earlier this year, Patriot Front, another white nationalist organization, marched through the Washington, DC area during Independence Day festivities, drawing public attention to the movement's continued presence. Such demonstrations underscore concerns that these groups, while still a minority, are seeking greater visibility and recruitment opportunities.

Robb, for his part, attributed the current wave of white nationalist sentiment to events well before Trump's presidency, pointing to 2008 and the election of Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president. "People are beginning to stir and being angered by what they see happening to the country," Robb told Lavelle. "So we're kind of a voice for that." He portrayed his organization as a channel for grievances he claims are widespread, though he offered no evidence for that assertion.

Despite the attempted rebranding, Robb acknowledged that his group faces a hurdle in attracting new members. "As for people actually to become members, that's kind of a line they [are] a little hesitant to cross sometimes," he said, conceding that public wariness of associating with a white supremacist organization remains a barrier. He also declined to provide membership numbers or any evidence to support his claim that support for his movement is growing.

The report highlights the tension between the group's rebranding efforts and its unchanged core beliefs. While names and titles may shift, the underlying ideology — including the exclusion of Black worshippers from its church and the rejection of nonwhite Americans as legitimate citizens — remains intact. For researchers and civil rights advocates, the rebranding is less a genuine transformation than a tactical adjustment aimed at attracting people who might otherwise be deterred by the KKK's violent history.

The findings also raise questions about the broader trajectory of extremist movements in the US. With more than 150 white supremacist groups active nationwide and nearly a third of surveyed adults endorsing replacement-style rhetoric, the conditions for recruitment persist even as individual organizations struggle to convert sympathy into formal membership. Whether The Knights Party can translate its softened public image into meaningful growth remains uncertain, but the Al Jazeera investigation suggests that the ideology it represents has not faded from the American landscape.