White supremacists in DC? White House claims that's democracy. | Opinion
The land of the free isn't free of White nationalism. We were reminded of that as the country celebrated its 250th anniversary.
Dozens of members of the White supremacist group Patriot Front swarmed Washington, DC, on July 4, carrying Confederate and upside-down American flags as they paraded down streets in their chinos and white face coverings. In a viral photo, they can be seen crowding a DC Metro subway car as a commuter, a Black woman just trying to get to her destination safely, looks on.
President Donald Trump's administration tried to downplay the demonstration, citing "free speech" instead of fully condemning it.
"What they stand for is nothing that I could possibly agree with," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told CNN's Dana Bash when asked about the White supremacists on air. "But one of the foundational principles of the United States which makes democracy messy is free speech."
In a way, this is the perfect encapsulation of the America that Trump wants – one where White nationalists are allowed to say and do whatever they want at the expense of everyone else. His administration officials may say they disagree with it, but everything they're doing shows that they believe in something else. The episode is also a reminder of what speech the administration ignores and which it tries to suppress.
White supremacy in America isn't new. But it's not going away, either.
This is not the first time that White supremacy has made itself known in the Trump era. In fact, it has been a defining presence of it.
Patriot Front was formed during the first Trump administration, in the wake of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left counterprotester Heather Heyer dead and others injured.
White supremacists also had an increased presence in 2020, when the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis drove folks to stand behind the Black Lives Matter movement and march in the streets.
This wasn't even the first instance of the Confederate flag being flown at our nation's capital this week. Prior to Independence Day weekend, a Confederate flag appeared in North Carolina's booth at the Great American State Fair and was removed once it was brought to attention by a reporter.
Trump is not condemning this, nor does it seem like he wants to. When the president tries to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion from every facet of government, he is siding with White supremacy. When holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth are called into question, he is siding with White supremacy. When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is blocking the promotions of people of color in our military, the administration is siding with White supremacy.
I grew up around symbols of the Confederacy. I was taught the "states' rights" argument of the Civil War in school. I saw the Confederate flag flown in the hollows of rural North Carolina and Virginia, toured the birthplaces of Confederate generals and learned that my own bloodline includes a Confederate soldier.
I have heard the argument for "Southern pride" time and time again, but this – standing masked in the streets, terrorizing the public – is often what that "Southern pride" turns into. The fruit was rotten before it ever left the vine.
It's true that Trump did not create the White supremacist problem. But he is watching as it continues to thrive and feels emboldened enough to parade near the nation's Capitol the weekend we celebrate our founding.
And yet, speech Trump disagrees with is targeted
White supremacist rhetoric is the kind of free speech our country tolerates. Yet when it comes to leftist free speech, there is no room for error – even if, as Burgum put it, "we're a country where someone can run and be elected saying that they're a communist" (not that any have actually gotten elected at the federal level).
If free speech is a fundamental right within the United States, then dozens of people would not have been charged for protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sentenced to decades in prison. Mahmoud Khalil would not still be fighting to remain in the United States with his wife and child after protesting on behalf of the Palestinian people.
Free speech will not exist in this country if people are still being attacked as "communists" for simply believing in a better country for all, not just the wealthy.
"Free speech" wasn't considered when Vice President JD Vance was saying that people who made inappropriate comments about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk should have those posts reported to their employer. It was not an issue of "free speech" when the president targeted television networks after late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert made comments that Trump didn't like.
What people protect and attack makes their goals clear. The goal of this administration is crystal clear.
Saying that all of this is just "messy" democracy is an understatement. After all, this country was founded by decimating an entire race and forged on the backs of enslaved people. It continues to exist because of the immigrants who come here in search of the American dream, in spite of the racism they encounter on a regular basis.
To some people, perhaps more than we care to admit, American democracy is White supremacy. What we saw this weekend was those feelings bubbling to the surface.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky:@sarapequeno.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White supremacists in DC? White House claims that's democracy. | Opinion
Reporting by Sara Pequeño, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 5:08 AM.