The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released its annual Year in Hate & Extremism report on Tuesday, documenting a significant consolidation of power by hard-right groups across the federal government and private tech sector in 2025. The report, based in Montgomery, Alabama, identifies 1,263 hate and antigovernment extremist groups operating throughout the year, marking a coordinated effort to embed extremist ideology into influential institutions.
Bryan Fair, interim president and CEO of the SPLC, stated that the hard right is actively radicalizing young people, particularly men, through an expanded culture and media ecosystem. He noted that high-ranking federal officials became powerful allies, helping transform extremist rhetoric into policies that harm Black and Brown communities, immigrants, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
The report highlights several key trends: younger, digitally savvy right-wingers gained unprecedented access to federal power by creating content that promoted anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-poor policies. Extremist groups used cryptocurrency to fund harassment campaigns while evading accountability.
College campuses became primary targets for propaganda and recruitment, exploiting free speech policies to host bigoted speakers who intimidated students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and women.
Rachel Carroll Rivas, deputy director of research at the SPLC's Intelligence Project, emphasized that the federal government's targeting of Black and Brown immigrant communities signaled full alignment with the hard-right agenda. She warned that less visible decisions have left all Americans less safe by ignoring the threat of hard-right extremism.
The report also outlines how the federal government undermined programs designed to prevent white supremacist violence. It includes policy recommendations such as ensuring civil rights and hate crimes are top priorities, teaching accurate history, supporting diversity and inclusion programs, promoting online safety, and holding lawmakers accountable.
Erin Wilson, director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project, called for collective resistance through civic engagement and everyday acts of solidarity. The full report, including a state-by-state list of hate groups and an interactive map, is available on the SPLC website.