KKK Faction Rebrands as 'Knights Party' as White Supremacist Groups Grow in Trump Era

A faction 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 took correspondent Phil Lavelle to Boone County, Arkansas, the group's longtime base of operations.

The organization, formerly known as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was founded in the 1970s by David Duke, a former Klan leader who later became a prominent white nationalist figure. The group has shortened its name and, according to members who spoke with Lavelle, is attempting to reposition its public message around themes of family and faith.

That rebranding effort appeared to collapse under a single question. When Lavelle asked whether a Black person would be welcome at the group's church, its leader, Thomas Robb, gave a one-word answer: "No." Robb, who serves as a Christian pastor, explained simply that it is "a white nationalist church."

Robb, who took control of the faction in 1989, has spent decades trying to soften the group's image without altering its ideology. He changed his own title from "grand wizard" to "national director," introduced confidential mail-in membership, and publicly distanced the organization from Klan violence. Those cosmetic changes have not touched the underlying racism the group was built upon.

During his interview with Lavelle, Robb was asked about Zohran Mamdani and Abdul El-Sayed, two high-profile Muslim politicians in the United States. He responded that neither is American. When Lavelle pointed out that El-Sayed was born in Michigan, Robb dismissed the fact entirely, saying, "I don't care where he's born. He's not American."

Robb went further, drawing a distinction between the children of white immigrants and those of non-white immigrants, arguing that only the children of white foreigners can be considered American "because they're white." The exchange underscored the contradiction at the heart of the group's rebranding: a friendlier name and softer public language paired with unchanged white nationalist doctrine.

The KKK itself dates to 1865, at the close of the Civil War, when it formed as a reaction to government efforts to extend civil rights to Black people and other minority groups. Through lynchings and other targeted violence, the Klan worked to prevent non-white participation in government and to preserve racial hierarchy in American life.

The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is just one of many such organizations active across the country. The Southern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy group that tracks extremist movements, estimates that at least 152 white supremacy groups are currently operating in the United States, part of what it describes as a decade-long rise.

That trend has been visible in public demonstrations as well. In July, members of Patriot Front, another white supremacist organization, marched through the streets of Washington, DC, during Independence Day festivities marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.

Experts have warned for years about a resurgence in white supremacy in the United States, fueled partly by the mainstream influence of political figures such as President Donald Trump. The Anti-Defamation League and other monitoring groups have documented similar patterns, pointing to rhetoric that frames immigration as an invasion and an assault on Western nations.

A 2025 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, which polled more than 20,000 US adults, asked respondents whether they agreed with the statement that immigrants are "invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background." Nearly one in three respondents — 32 percent — said they agreed. That belief is the foundation of the great replacement theory, a conspiracy that falsely claims immigrants, Jews and nonwhite groups are seeking to supplant white people in Western countries.

Critics have accused Trump and other right-wing leaders of normalizing such views. Trump drew widespread condemnation in 2017 when, after a deadly clash between white nationalists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, he said there were "fine people on both sides." In 2022, he hosted Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, a key figure in the white nationalist movement, for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

More recently, Trump told The New York Times earlier this year that "white people were very badly treated" in fields such as academia. His second administration has moved to dismantle diversity initiatives, and the government has launched investigations into whether universities and companies, including Nike, discriminate against white people. His administration has also prioritized white South Africans in refugee admissions, based on a false claim that they are facing genocide.

Robb, however, rejected the idea that Trump is responsible for the current wave of white nationalist sentiment. He told Lavelle that the rise began much earlier, in 2008, with the election of Barack Obama as the country's first Black president. "People are beginning to stir and being angered by what they see happening to the country," Robb said. "So we're kind of a voice for that."

Despite his claims of growing support, Robb acknowledged that many people remain reluctant to formally join a white supremacist organization. "As for people actually to become members, that's kind of a line they [are] a little hesitant to cross sometimes," he said. He declined to provide membership figures or any evidence to support his assertion that backing for his movement is increasing.

The interview suggests that while the group may be changing its name and public presentation, its core positions remain firmly in place — and that its ability to attract new members is constrained by the very stigma it is trying to shed.