Day of Reckoning: How the Far Right Declared War on Democracy

The United States has become an almost unrecognizable country--with millions in thrall to conspiracy theories, toxic populism, and the far right edging closer to total power--a dire threat to civil society and democratic institutions. While the MAGA movement was in remission due to Donald Trump’s defeat in 2020, the fascist fringes have not just survived but have continued to thrive and burrow into the mainstream. The January 6th Capitol Riot prosecutions have done little to curb their enthusiasm for mayhem.

Trump’s base in the Republican Party is committed to their candidate like never before. The institutionalization of racist voter suppression and the outdated logic behind the Electoral College means he could take back the White House. Apocalyptic messaging ensures the alt-right, anti-government, anti-LGBT, and white nationalist groups see the next election as a life-or-death struggle and are uniting to back the one person they can all agree on-- guaranteeing another chaotic election.

In this chilling exposé, Wendling encounters Capital rioters, Covid deniers, QAnon supporters, and Proud Boys and uncovers the roots of a movement that threatens to shatter the foundations of democracy.

Mike Wendling is US National Digital Reporter for the BBC, based in Chicago. He previously co-founded the BBC’s disinformation unit and was editor and presenter of BBC Trending. He has decades of experience covering extremism, the American far right, social media and disinformation, and is the author of Alt-Right: From 4chan to the White House.