As hate crimes rise in America, Trump ends funding to combat "white power movement"

Donald Trump’s administration has made it official: It is only concerned with “Countering Violent Extremism” when that violence is inflicted in the name of Islamist ideology, stripping all funding for a program addressing right-wing, white supremacist violence.

Before President Barack Obama left office, his administration allotted a $400,000 grant to be paid in 2016 to Life After Hate, a non-profit organization founded by former members of American far-right extremist movements.

Life After Hate works around the country to educate people about right-wing extremism and offers a program for those involved in “white power” gangs to help them “disengage and lead a more positive life.”

Making clear its intention not to address this strain of right-wing violence, the White House considered renaming the “Countering Violent Extremism” program to “Countering Islamic Extremism” after Trump took office.

Instead, Trump simply unfunded the portion specifically dedicated to combatting right-wing hate crimes, and the Department of Homeland Security program now reads like a slush fund of grants for law-enforcement.

Trump’s actions once again belie his words. He does not care about the danger to the American people from all forms of extremist ideological violence — only certain types.

He rails solely against Islamist extremism to create fear and leverage prejudice, and to give himself greater political power.