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Peter Brimelow: The Architect of Anti-Immigration and White Nationalist Discourse

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Peter Brimelow stands as a central figure in the landscape of American anti-immigration and white nationalist movements. As the president of the VDARE Foundation, a nonprofit organization, he has cultivated a platform that bridges mainstream anti-immigrant sentiments with the more extreme fringes of white nationalism. For over three decades, Peter Brimelow has been a prominent voice in the anti-immigrant movement, solidifying his position as a leading proponent since the mid-1990s. His background as a former editor at Forbes and columnist for National Review lent him a degree of mainstream credibility, which he leveraged to launch VDARE in 1999. This website quickly became a digital sanctuary for commentators espousing anti-immigrant and white nationalist ideologies. Throughout the era of Donald Trump’s presidency, Peter Brimelow and VDARE further deepened their connections with the white nationalist fringe, amplifying their reach and influence.

Early Career and the Genesis of Nativist Views

Peter Brimelow’s journey into the anti-immigrant movement began to take shape in the 1990s, marked significantly by his 1995 book, Alien Nation. This seminal work originated from a feature article he penned for National Review titled “Time to Rethink Immigration?”. At the time of Alien Nation‘s publication, Brimelow was a contributor to several mainstream media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal‘s MarketWatch and Forbes. He maintained his position at National Review until 1997, when he was reportedly forced out amidst the magazine’s efforts to distance itself from white nationalist elements. Alien Nation has since become a foundational text for both nativist and white nationalist movements, solidifying Peter Brimelow’s status within these circles.

In Alien Nation, Peter Brimelow articulated the argument that post-1965 immigration policies had triggered an unmanageable surge of non-white immigration. This, he claimed, was leading to an “imminent, unprecedented, ethnic and racial transformation of America.” Brimelow posited that America had historically possessed “a specific ethnic core,” which he explicitly identified as “white.” He even considered concluding his book with a fictional narrative depicting “the flight of the last white family from Los Angeles,” highlighting his anxieties about demographic change. The core argument of Alien Nation closely mirrored the “white genocide” conspiracy theory prevalent in white nationalist ideology. This theory falsely asserts that white people are being systematically replaced by non-whites through various means, including immigration.

Subsequent reports have revealed deeper connections between Peter Brimelow, Alien Nation, and the extreme right than his mainstream media affiliations might suggest. Correspondence from the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library showed extensive communication between Brimelow and John Tanton, the recognized founder of the modern nativist movement, regarding the book. As reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in 2008, Tanton stated in a 1995 memo that he had “encouraged Brimelow to write his book” and “provided the necessary research funds to get it done.” This support extended to connecting Brimelow with potential donors and allocating his own funds for book tours and publicity. Notably, it was Tanton who urged conservative philanthropist Cordelia Scaife May to fund Joseph Fallon as Peter Brimelow’s research assistant for Alien Nation. Fallon later became a board member of the VDARE Foundation, as indicated by tax documents, further solidifying these early connections.

VDARE: Forging a Bridge to White Nationalism

The publication of Alien Nation served as a catalyst, propelling Peter Brimelow away from mainstream journalism and towards his own nativist endeavors. In 1999, he established the Center for American Unity, which included VDARE.com. The website’s name itself is steeped in white supremacist symbolism, referencing Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World in 1587, a figure historically appropriated as a potent symbol of white supremacy dating back to the 19th century. Among VDARE’s initial contributors were Joseph Fallon, Peter Brimelow’s research assistant for Alien Nation, and his twin brother, John Brimelow. Steve Sailer, a proponent of scientific racism who, like Brimelow, was ousted from National Review in the 1990s, has also been a long-standing contributor. The site further hosted archives of columns from figures like Sam Francis, the former editor of the newspaper for the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens.

In 2007, VDARE.com transitioned away from the Center for American Unity and was reorganized under the VDARE Foundation, still under Peter Brimelow’s leadership. Throughout the 2010s, Brimelow transformed VDARE from a relatively obscure nativist blog into a significant platform. Its intense focus on criticizing non-white immigration and its attacks on mainstream conservatives for perceived insufficient support of nativist policies created a crucial link between the anti-immigrant right and the white nationalist movement. Particularly during the Trump era, VDARE became a platform for prominent white nationalist propagandists, whom Brimelow has defended as natural consequences of American immigration policy.

The “God-Uncle” of the Alt-Right and Shifting Identities

Peter Brimelow, who has described himself as aligned with “racial nationalism,” has dismissed characterizations of himself and VDARE as “white nationalist” as “guilt-by-association conspiracy theories.” He even initiated a lawsuit against The New York Times over such classifications, a lawsuit he ultimately lost in 2020. Instead, Brimelow has preferred to define himself and his website as adhering to “civic nationalism.” However, the documented history and current roster of VDARE’s contributors paint a different picture, one that aligns more closely with white nationalist ideologies.

VDARE has consistently attracted figures associated with scientific racism, such as Jared Taylor, editor of the white nationalist site American Renaissance, and Kevin MacDonald, an antisemitic psychology professor. Other notable white nationalist contributors include Jason Kessler, an organizer of the “Unite the Right” rally, who regularly writes for VDARE on legal matters concerning white nationalists and neo-Nazis. Kevin DeAnna, a long-time white nationalist propagandist, has also contributed to the site since 2011 under the pseudonym James Kirkpatrick, while simultaneously working for other white nationalist platforms.

Peter Brimelow himself has addressed audiences at numerous white nationalist events, including those hosted by Richard Spencer’s National Policy Institute, American Renaissance, and the H.L. Mencken Club. At the 2015 American Renaissance conference, he referenced the “white genocide” conspiracy theory, asserting that those opposing his views were part of a “lynch mob.” In the early Trump era, while downplaying the “godfather” label often associated with Paul Gottfried, Brimelow embraced a mentor-like role within the alt-right movement, describing himself as a “god-uncle” to the movement at a 2016 National Policy Institute conference. This self-characterization acknowledged VDARE’s role in nurturing and providing a platform for alt-right ideologies, particularly among a younger generation of far-right extremists. VDARE effectively repackaged Brimelow’s nativist message for a more radical audience, contributing to the growth and mainstreaming of alt-right ideas.

Entanglements with the Mainstream Right

Peter Brimelow’s prior career in mainstream journalism and right-wing publications has afforded him connections within the broader American right that are uncommon for figures in the white nationalist movement. A significant example of this is a $1.5 million donation from DonorsTrust, a major conservative dark money fund favored by Republican billionaire families, to the VDARE Foundation in 2019.

These connections have also manifested in more direct, albeit sometimes obscured, ways, particularly during the Trump administration. In 2018, Larry Kudlow, then serving as Trump’s economic advisor, hosted Peter Brimelow at his home for a birthday party. Despite the ensuing controversy, Kudlow claimed ignorance of Brimelow’s white nationalist affiliations. Shortly before this incident, White House speechwriter Darren Beattie was dismissed after reports surfaced of his participation in a panel alongside Brimelow at the H.L. Mencken Club in 2016.

Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump’s immigration policies, had invited Peter Brimelow to speak at Duke University in 2007 during his undergraduate years. Emails also revealed that Miller shared a link to a VDARE post with Katie McHugh in 2015, while working for then-Senator Jeff Sessions. Further emails indicated connections between Julia Hahn, who also worked at Breitbart and later in the Trump administration, and Peter Brimelow.

Conversely, Peter Brimelow’s connections to the mainstream right have been strategically used for marketing purposes. A 2018 VDARE fundraising email asserted a “direct line of influence” from Brimelow to Ann Coulter and Donald Trump, referencing Coulter’s praise for Brimelow’s early anti-immigrant essay. Kevin DeAnna claimed that Ann Coulter had encouraged him to recommend white nationalists for positions in the Trump administration. Coulter herself has credited Peter Brimelow’s writings as the primary influence on her shift towards anti-immigration views, highlighting the significant impact of his ideas on shaping right-wing discourse.

Furthermore, a New York Times report in May 2022 detailed Peter Brimelow’s reported direct involvement with Rupert Murdoch and Fox Corporation as of 2018. While Fox Corporation later denied any ongoing involvement following internal inquiries and media scrutiny, this connection underscores the extent of Peter Brimelow’s reach within influential conservative media circles. Brimelow, in response to these reports, dismissed them as “hit jobs” and defended his long-standing acquaintance with Rupert Murdoch, framing the scrutiny as an attempt to smear Tucker Carlson and Fox News through association.

Conclusion

Peter Brimelow’s career轨迹 demonstrates a sustained and impactful role in shaping the anti-immigration and white nationalist movements in the United States. From his early writings in mainstream publications to the establishment of VDARE, he has consistently promoted nativist ideologies and provided a platform for white nationalist voices. His connections to both the alt-right and segments of the mainstream conservative movement highlight the complex and often obscured networks that underpin contemporary right-wing extremism in America. Peter Brimelow remains a key figure in understanding the evolution and mainstreaming of these ideologies, and his continued influence through VDARE warrants ongoing scrutiny.

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