Who are Groypers?

 

The Groypers, also known as the "Groyper Army," are a loose network of American white nationalist activists who aim to mainstream white supremacist ideas within the conservative movement. The movement is led by far-right, white supremacist internet personality Nick Fuentes.

 

Beliefs and Tactics

 

    Ideology: Groypers adhere to white nationalist and "America First" ideologies, promoting the idea that shifting racial and cultural demographics pose an existential threat to white European-American identity.

 

They oppose liberal values, feminism, and often use rhetoric associated with the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory (others started replacing us).

 

    Leader: Nick Fuentes, a self-described "white identitarian," "race realist," and "traditional Catholic," hosts the America First podcast and founded the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC).

 

    "Conservative Inc.": Groypers frequently criticize mainstream conservative politicians and pundits, whom they refer to as "Conservative Inc.," for being weak and unwilling to confront "cultural decline".

    Online and Offline Tactics: The group originated online, using a racist-coded variation of the Pepe the Frog meme called "Groyper" (a drawing of a toad). They are known for their tech-savviness and use social media to spread their views. Offline, they have gained notoriety for "trolling" mainstream conservative events by taking over question-and-answer sessions with antisemitic, and racist questions, which they then stream online to recruit and gain attention.

    Target Audience: The movement primarily targets Generation Z individuals and disaffected conservatives, attempting to attract them by framing their white nationalist beliefs as "American Christian nationalism".

 

Key Figures and Platforming

Besides Fuentes, notable figures associated with the movement include live streamer "Baked Alaska" (Anthime Gionet) and Patrick Casey, former leader of the white supremacist organization American Identity Movement.

Many Groyper influencers have been de-platformed from mainstream social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. In response, they have migrated to alternative platforms like Gab, Telegram, and their own streaming service, Cozy.tv, to continue disseminating their message.

 

Benjamin Aaron Shapiro, an American conservative political commentator, media host, and attorney hates them:

 

 

“The American right is at a crossroads. A group of white supremacists known as the "groypers" is maliciously attempting to subvert the conservative movement. The main agent of their normalization within the GOP is Tucker Carlson, who is now being aided and celebrated by one of the key organizations of the traditional right, the Heritage Foundation ("The New Right's New Antisemites," Review & Outlook, Nov. 3).

 

Nick Fuentes, the groypers' 27-year-old leader, urges his followers to "kill, rape and die" for him. He proclaims that a lot of women want to be raped, praises Jim Crow and insists that "perfidious" Jews should be expelled from America or be killed. He claims the MAGA movement is a "scam."

 

Mr. Carlson, who interviewed Mr. Fuentes last week, has recently reinvented himself as a conspiracy peddler and apologist for America's enemies. He's defended Vladimir Putin, massaged Iran's dictatorship, praised Venezuela's, and minimized Hamas's atrocities. He claims Christian Zionists have a "brain virus" and calls Jews who care about Oct. 7 "un-American."

 

Mr. Carlson's most common tactic is ideological laundering: He hosts guests with ugly ideologies, soft-pedals their views and launders them into mainstream respectability. He claims he's "just asking questions," and that's precisely what he did last week: Mr. Carlson ignored Mr. Fuentes's most toxic views, providing him a signal boost while making him palatable for a broader audience. Never mind that doing so betrayed Mr. Carlson's friends. Mr. Fuentes spent years attempting to destroy Charlie Kirk, assailed his grieving widow and says that Vice President JD Vance's interracial marriage ought to invalidate him for higher office.

 

Mr. Carlson didn't ask about any of that -- to do so would have undermined his mission, which is to legitimize Mr. Fuentes and co-opt his audience.

 

As a reward, he received a vociferous defense from the Heritage Foundation's president, Kevin Roberts, who publicly declared eternal commitment to Mr. Carlson.

 

Mr. Roberts smeared Mr. Carlson's critics as "globalists," a foreign "venomous coalition . . . sowing division."

 

These aren't merely lies -- they betray the legacy of Heritage, an institution that was supposed to be rooted in conservative ideas, not personal loyalty to a man who undermines them.

 

The Republican Party, like the Democratic Party before it, is at risk of being eaten alive by fringe actors. To allow it is both morally unjustifiable and politically obtuse. Americans reject this garbage. If Republicans cower before Nazi apologists and their popularizers, the GOP will lose -- and deserve to.

 

Our answer must be no. No to the groypers and their publicists like Mr. Carlson. No to demoralization.

 

No to bigotry and antimeritocratic nonsense.

 

No to anti-Americanism. This is our country, our party and our conservative movement. We can't stand by while it is fractured by those who betray our most fundamental principles.

 

If we lose the right, then we will surely lose to the left -- and either way, we will lose our country.

 

Ben Shapiro

 

Nashville, Tenn.” [1]

 

1. The GOP Mustn't Give the 'Groypers' an Inch. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 05 Nov 2025: A16.