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.
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.
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."
Maybe it's Gingrich who should study up on history.
