Richard B. Spencer and the Alt Right

Abstract

This chapter discusses the life and work of Richard B. Spencer, the president of the National Policy Institute, a US white-nationalist think tank. A few weeks after the 2016 presidential election, at a National Policy Institute conference, Spencer famously called “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” and some of his supporters gave the Nazi salute. Spencer is self-described as an identitarian, and is the inventor of the term “Alt Right,” which he coined to differentiate his views from mainstream American conservatism. Spencer is the leading communicator of the Alt Right message rather than its leading intellectual. He has found his niche as Alt Right provocateur and media spokesman. The mass media line up to interview him, and university students are listening to his message.