Can the KKK find a new foothold in the US?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that the Ku Klux Klan is attempting to recast itself under the name “The Knights Party” in an effort to broaden its appeal in the United States. The piece centers on an interview by correspondent Phil Lavelle with Thomas Robb, who leads the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a faction Robb has headed since 1989 from Boone County, Arkansas. According to the report, the group says it is emphasizing family and faith while avoiding the KKK name, even as Robb continues to describe it as a white nationalist organization.

The article places that effort in the context of broader concerns about white supremacist activity in the US. It cites the Southern Poverty Law Center’s estimate that at least 152 white supremacist groups are active nationwide and notes that experts have warned of a resurgence over the past decade. Al Jazeera also links the trend to wider political and cultural debates, including immigration, race, and rhetoric used by public figures, while cautioning that such claims are contested and often criticized by opponents.

Lavelle’s interview suggests the group remains openly exclusionary. Robb told him that a Black person would not be welcome at the group’s church and said the movement views itself as a white nationalist church. He also made comments rejecting the American identity of Muslim politicians, underscoring the group’s continuing racist views. The report matters because it shows how an older hate movement is trying to adapt its image while preserving its ideology, at a time when white supremacist groups remain active in the US.