For most Americans, the “great replacement” conspiracy theory probably remains an obscure and unfamiliar concept. For a growing number of Republicans, however, the idea is moving quickly from the fringe to the GOP mainstream.
As we recently discussed, the basic idea behind the conspiracy theory is that nefarious forces — Democrats, “globalists,” immigration advocates, et al. — intend to systemically replace white people in the United States by welcoming people of color from other countries. Not surprisingly, the ugly idea has been popular in white-supremacist circles.
But this year, it’s prominent Republican voices who’ve been pushing the theory with increased vigor.
Last week, after the network assured the Anti-Defamation League that Tucker Carlson had no use for replacement theory, the Fox News host warned viewers that the Biden administration intends to change the nation’s “racial mix.” Carlson added, “This policy is called the ‘great replacement.’”
As Business Insider reported yesterday, it wasn’t long before the host received support from a Republican member of Congress.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida appeared to endorse a white nationalist conspiracy theory that Tucker Carlson promoted on his Fox News show last week. ‘[Carlson] is CORRECT about Replacement Theory as he explains what is happening to America,’ Gaetz, a Republican, wrote in a tweet Saturday.
The controversial Florida Republican added that, as far as he’s concerned, the Anti-Defamation League is “a racist organization.”
While Gaetz went further than most in the GOP by explicitly using the “replacement theory” phrase, the congressman is hardly the first prominent Republican official to push the concept.








