White supremacist group rebrands as 'Knights Party' amid rising extremist sentiment
In Arkansas, Thomas Robb, leader of a KKK offshoot now called the Knights Party, says the group remains a white-only church while claiming a broader appeal.
A recent investigation in Boone County, Arkansas, found that the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, rebranded as the Knights Party, is attempting to modernize its image by emphasizing family values and religion. Thomas Robb, the group's national director since 1989, told a journalist that the organization remains a white nationalist church and would not welcome Black members. While claiming to broaden its appeal, Robb rejected Muslim politicians as not truly American and linked current white nationalist feelings to the 2008 election of Barack Obama.
The report also cited a 2025 Public Religion Research Institute survey showing that 32 percent of U.S. adults endorse the “great replacement” narrative. Experts note a rise in hate groups, with the Southern Poverty Law Center counting at least 152 active white-supremacist organizations, including the Patriot Front, which recently marched in Washington, DC.
Why it matters
The story highlights a potential resurgence of extremist groups and their influence on American politics and society.
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