Versions of the Great Replacement conspiracy theory—which hinges on the racist belief that non-European immigrants are systematically "replacing" white Americans in the United States—have existed for over a century, but the belief saw a terrifying rise in popularity under the presidency of Donald Trump.
White supremacists at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville infamously marched with torches, chanting "Jews will not replace us!" in 2017. Trump frequently used the term "invasion" to describe immigrants—a term similarly used in the manifesto of the El Paso shooter, who targeted Hispanic immigrants and killed 23 people.
The theory continues to enjoy rising approval in right-wing circles even after the end of Trump's presidency.
Far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly endorsed the theory on his primetime show, broadcast to millions of viewers each night. As recently as this past April, a former senior Defense Department advisor appointed by Trump—Douglas Macgregor—said in a radio interview that Democrats were trying to "bring in as many non-Europeans as possible in order to outnumber the numbers of Americans of European ancestry who live in the United States."
And now, Republican former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, promoted the racist conspiracy theory on Fox Business in a recent interview with far-right disinformation peddler Maria Bartiromo.
Watch below.
Newt Gingrich is the latest on Fox to go full great replacement theory: The left is bringing immigrants to the Unit… https://t.co/MDUhHob11c— John Whitehouse+ (@John Whitehouse+) 1628082576.0
Graham said:
"I think what's hard for most of us to accept, is that the anti-American left would love to drown traditional classic Americans with as many people as they can who know nothing of American history, nothing of American tradition, nothing of the rule of law. ... And if you go and you look at the radical left, this is their ideal model is to get rid of the rest of us because we believe in George Washington or we believe in the Constitution, and you see this behavior over and over again."
Social media users swiftly called him out.
Right-wing media continues to spread the same white supremacist garbage we’ve seen in countless terrorist manifesto… https://t.co/8UcwNCLyGq— Ahmed Baba (@Ahmed Baba) 1628093229.0
Two years ago yesterday, a white supremacist gunman killed 23 people in El Paso, TX. The manifesto he left behind s… https://t.co/HoSyohs1iG— Matthew Gertz (@Matthew Gertz) 1628085255.0
This is one of the reasons why I will continue to scream from the mountain top that we must remember El Paso. This… https://t.co/mTfW38MI6P— Julissa Natzely Arce Raya (@Julissa Natzely Arce Raya) 1628090497.0
"the anti-American left would love to drown traditional, classic Americans with as many people as they can" Read t… https://t.co/nVdhyn4itx— Brendan Nyhan (@Brendan Nyhan) 1628083873.0
Sometimes I wonder if white supremacists continue to cite the antisemitic "great replacement theory" because that's… https://t.co/o4udx0e54Q— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@Qasim Rashid, Esq.) 1628092739.0
who’s the “rest of us” newty? https://t.co/vK058GojUL— Tatiana (@Tatiana) 1628099112.0
People reminded Gingrich that America, at its best, purports to be a haven for immigrants in the spirit of its original motto E pluribus unum, or "Out of many, one."
Dear @newtgingrich: I am an immigrant. We are Americans. We are you. If you don’t understand that, you can leave my… https://t.co/pJRG31mRgU— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1628106561.0
BREAKING: Statue of Liberty determined to be a leftist psyop to replace white people. https://t.co/RnaWQUaEQ3— Darrell Owens (@Darrell Owens) 1628095559.0
Approximately 90% of Americans are the descendants of immigrants. https://t.co/3pFbvXP6ot— US Rep Brendan Boyle (@US Rep Brendan Boyle) 1628106700.0
Maybe it's Gingrich who should study up on history.