Alt-right members preparing to enter Emancipation Park holding Nazi, Confederate, and libertarian flags.

Stop The Fascism Machine!

May 17, 2025 | Featured Homepage Post, PDA Blog, Rapid Response

Mike Hersh, PDA Communications Director
Mike’s views do not represent PDA’s official positions

Stochastic terrorism—using inflammatory rhetoric likely if not intended to instigate threats and violent attacks by radicalized individuals—is an increasingly deadly tool employed by fascists in the U.S.A. Trump and the far-right propaganda networks supporting him systematically mainstream and weaponize extremism. By amplifying conspiracy theories, platforming extremists, and employing dehumanizing language, fascists routinely inspire real-world terrorism.

In my previous blog, We Must Stop Trump’s Fascists From Using Stochastic Terrorism And Violence, I discussed the clear and present danger Trump-inspired fascist terrorism presents to human lives and to our way of life itself. In this article, I will name names and call out some of the worst stochastic terrorists openly operating today. This article compiles representative examples from watchdog organizations and mainstream media reports.

Note: All links were verified live as of May 17, 2025. For ongoing monitoring of right wing hate and violence, consult sources like the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League.

Trump is far from alone in directing stochastic terrorism against targets

Stochastic terrorism is coming from the very top of U.S. politics. Mother Jones identified Donald Trump, Stochastic Terrorist:

Of course, there have long been many instances of Trump encouraging political violence. Axios has compiled a list. As has ABC News. And Vox. And the New York Times. [P]inning a bull’s-eye on the back of an opponent in a volatile situation—perhaps suggesting the world would be safer without this supposed threat—knowing this could lead to violence against that target. It’s indirect incitement, inspiring someone else to do the dirty work.

The Advocate reported on the increasing use of stochastic terrorism by Trump to target his political opponents:

Harvard Kennedy School professor Juliette Kayyem is an expert on security and terrorism, serving as the Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs under President Obama. She also served as Massachusetts homeland security advisor. She tells The Advocate that the term [stochastic terrorism] has gained popularity among Republicans, who have used it to their advantage.

She explains that for whatever reason, the January 6 committee, to which she gave two briefings regarding the framework through which actions of those involved with the events leading up to and including the insurrection, didn’t use the term, but what they outlined could be described as stochastic terrorism tactics.

“Maybe it was the word terrorism, or maybe stochastic is not helpful or user friendly, but whatever you call it, it was very well memorialized in the January 6 committee report regarding that transition from stochastic terrorism to direct,” she says.

The ways former president Donald Trump deployed stochastic terrorism by amplifying a resonant message to the die-hard followers, he inspired them to commit acts of violence at the Capitol, Kayyem reasons.

Media Matters reported on the Daily Wire’s “obsession with violence.”

As right-wing blog The Daily Wire expands its reach, it has also stepped up calls for violence against LGBTQ people and others. Founded in 2015 by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing, The Daily Wire has grown beyond its significant Facebook following—recently signing a streaming deal with X (formerly Twitter), pouring $100 million into new children’s programming, and producing feature-length movies. But amid all these efforts to expand The Daily Wire into new markets, its hosts have continued pushing bigoted, extreme rhetoric targeting trans people, unhoused people, health care providers, and more.

Daily Wire personalities often use a rhetorical device called stochastic terrorism, a process of associating marginalized groups with vile or disgusting acts in order to incite violence against them.

Hosts Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro, and Candace Owens frequently uses their programs to attack doctors who provide gender-affirming care, even smearing a children’s hospital by claiming children were being tortured and mutilated there while dismissing the potential harm that could result from their words. Then, when the hospital received a bomb threat, Walsh dismissed concerns by suggesting that liberals were responsible.

Stochastic terrorism can result in real harm, and The Daily Wire has become a platform for amplifying these calls for violence.

Ironically, that extreme right wing site’s cofounder Ben Shapiro, admitted, “Overheated rhetoric generally appeals to the unhinged; the unhinged may take seriously that rhetoric and attempt violence as a consequence.” Yet, he and his fellow fascists routinely do just that. Here is a rigorously sourced compilation of similar incendiary statements and behaviors by extreme right-wing influencers. Examples of the fascism machine in operation:

Ben Shapiro mocked “the media,” common sense gun safety policies, and right-wing rhetoric inciting gun violence: “If there is a link—if there is a mass shooting that cannot be explained by white supremacy or right-wing rhetoric, it immediately turns into a gun control narrative. … That’s because the media have a stake in the gun control narrative.” [Media Matters]
Steven Crowder hosted white nationalist Nick Fuentes on his show, with Fuentes claiming “Western civilization is a civilization of white people” [The Nation]
The Daily Wire‘s Michael Knowles interviewed Holocaust denier Curtis Yarvin in 2023, asking softball questions about his “political theories” without challenging antisemitic claims [Alternet]
Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire platformed Scott Pressler, who organized “Stop the Steal” rallies preceding the January 6th insurrection attempt [isdglobal.org]
Matt Walsh stated doctors providing gender-affirming care “should be put to death” in a 2022 tweet that he pinned to his profile [Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)]
Chaya Raichik (Libs of TikTok) targeted Boston Children’s Hospital with false “child abuse” claims, leading to bomb threats and armed protesters [Anti-Defamation League (ADL)]
Matt Walsh promoted the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory in 2023, claiming “liberal elites want to replace white Americans” [SPLC]
Candace Owens, “whose show lands in the top ten on the Spotify podcast charts in the U.S., has a long history of controversial and outlandish rhetoric including saying Hitler’s ‘nationalism’ inside Germany was ‘fine’ and that parents who take their kids to drag queen story hour should have them ‘taken away.’” [Mediaite]
Jack Posobiec shared memes depicting George Floyd as “deserving death” during 2020 BLM protests [isdglobal.org]
Matt Walsh’s documentary “What is a Woman?” manipulated interviews with medical professionals, with three participants claiming deception [NBC News]
Chaya Raichik’s Libs of TikTok account fueled harassment campaigns against 150+ schools and hospitals providing LGBTQ+ services in 2023 alone [ADL]
Michael Knowles called transgender identity “a mental disorder” and called for the eradication of trans people in a 2023 speech [Los Angeles Times]
Knowles also claimed “statistically 100% of people who have succeeded in business have been men” in 2025 [YouTube]
Steven Crowder spoke about “taking away women’s right to vote” on multiple episodes [The Nation]
Ben Shapiro asserted “the professional-class feminist is engaged in a war on the family” in his 2024 book
Benny Johnson called January 6th defendants “political prisoners” in 2023 fundraising emails [isdglobal.org]
Tim Pool claimed without evidence that the FBI “orchestrated” the January 6th violence in a 2024 documentary
Jack Posobiec promoted the “January 6th was Antifa” conspiracy theory 127 times across various platforms in 2023 [isdglobal.org]

Right wing extremist network The Daily Wire and similar extremists propagate the “Great Replacement” theory, falsely claiming that “liberal elites” schemes are replacing white people with immigrants of color. They also routinely spew hatred against Jewish people, Muslims, LGBTQ+ people, and others. These actions have a growing body count. Deaths caused by extremism.

Hateful narratives incite violence including mass shootings

We’ve seen radicalized right wing extremist gunmen kill innocents in Uvalde and El Paso Texas, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Colorado, Florida, and South Carolina—even in New Zealand. A recent European Commission report notes that right wing extremist conspiracies radicalize individuals, reframing violent attacks as defensive action.

Right-wing networks platform dangerous extremists who encourage this violence. Steven Crowder hosted white nationalist Nick Fuentes, a maniac who calls for “holy war” against non-whites. Ben Shapiro amplified “Stop the Steal” organizer Scott Pressler ahead of the January 6th attempted insurrection. In the Blind Spot: How Right-Wing Extremists Use Alternative Platforms for Radicalisation.

In 2025, Andrew Tate—indicted for human trafficking—was celebrated on several Trump Cult-aligned podcasts, where he promoted misogynistic violence to millions of young listeners. Normalizing extremists emboldens them and expands their reach. Extreme bigots like Chaya Raichik (aka Libs of TikTok) and Matt Walsh explicitly target marginalized groups, especially LGBTQ+ individuals. They single out and dox innocent people, knowing that their rhetoric consistently leads to harassment and violence. Even school children can understand this threat. See: The Discreet Agitator: Stochastic terrorism results in hateful acts published in a high school newspaper.

Raichik’s false claims about Boston Children’s Hospital performing “child mutilation surgeries” led to bomb threats and armed individuals lurking nearby. Walsh’s demand that gender-affirming care doctors “be put to death” was pinned on his twitter account, potentially endangering the lives of doctors, nurses, patients, and their families. Southern Poverty Law Center, Online Amplifiers of Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism | ADL. Researchers note this pattern mirrors historical stochastic terrorism tactics, where influential speakers demonize groups to provoke “lone wolf” attacks
Stochastic Terrorism, Speech Incantations and Federal Tax Exemption.

The ADL documents how right-wing networks use algorithmic amplification and alternative platforms like Rumble to evade content moderation Online Amplifiers of Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism | ADL. Memes depicting George Floyd as “deserving death” (shared by provocateur Jack Posobiec) and doctored videos smearing LGBTQ+ educators spread rapidly, often outpacing fact-checks. These ecosystems monetize outrage, with figures like Tim Pool profiting from January 6th denialism and conspiracies In the Blind Spot: How Right-Wing Extremists Use Alternative Platforms for Radicalisation.

Laura Ann Carleton, who went by Lauri, was murdered outside of the Southern California boutique that she owned because she dared to show her support for the LGBTQ+ community. A man who held anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes shot and killed her when she wouldn’t remove a Pride Flag that flew at the store. [Advocate]

Right wing networks inspire terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security attributes 76% of 2024 domestic terror incidents to ideologies promoted by these influencers. Until platforms and policymakers curb their amplification, stochastic terrorism will remain a hallmark of far-right radicalization.

Policy Measures to Curb Stochastic Terrorism

Policymakers face significant challenges in addressing stochastic terrorism, as it often involves indirect incitement and plausible deniability by influential figures. However, a range of measures-legal, educational, and technological-can help mitigate its impact while respecting democratic values and free speech.

Modernize Legal Standards: Consider reforming incitement laws to address the unique harms of stochastic terrorism. Scholars have proposed replacing the narrow Brandenburg v. Ohio standard with statutes modeled after international norms, such as Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to hold demagogues accountable for reckless, violence-inducing rhetoric. (Drexel Law Review, 2024).
Label and Penalize Domestic Terror Groups: Following recommendations by security experts, governments can formally label domestic extremist groups and increase penalties for threats or violence against elected officials, election workers, and other essential personnel, similar to hate crime protections.
Attitudinal Inoculation and Public Education: Implement public education campaigns to explain how radicalization and manipulation work, using “attitudinal inoculation” to build resilience against extremist messaging.
Regulate Digital Platforms: Encourage or require social media companies to improve content moderation, transparency, and rapid response to dehumanizing or violence-promoting rhetoric, especially when amplified by influential accounts. (US Secret Service, 2023).
International Best Practices: Study and adapt approaches from other democracies, such as Germany’s Volksverhetzung laws, which criminalize speech that incites hatred or violence against groups based on ethnicity or religion.
Community Engagement and Threat Assessment: Support law enforcement and community organizations in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities to radicalization, using threat assessment models and targeted interventions. (US Secret Service, 2023).

These combined measures—legal reforms, public education, platform accountability, and community engagement—could reduce the risk and impact of stochastic terrorism while upholding fundamental Constitutional rights. (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, 2022).