The following is a timeline of instances of extremism in the Trump administration in February 2018.
President Trump has opened the White House doors to extremism, not only consulting with hate groups on policies that erode our country’s civil rights protections but enabling the infiltration of extremist ideas into the administration’s rhetoric and agenda.
Once relegated to the fringes, the radical right now has a toehold in the White House.
Groups and individuals referenced in the list below are not associated with hate groups and extremist ideology unless indicated by a hate group profile.
Anti-Muslim
Feb 1
Trump administration announces Muslim basher as nominee for director general of the UN’s International Organization for Migration
Anti-Black
Feb 1
Trump administration strips Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of power to investigate racial discrimination
Anti-Muslim
Feb 3
Department of Homeland Security report calls for surveillance of Sunni Muslims
Anti-Immigrant
Feb 6
Chief of Staff John Kelly says DREAMers “were too lazy to get off their asses”
Anti-Immigrant
Feb 8
Trump adminstration considers targeting immigrants who use food aid and other benefits
Anti-LGBT
Feb 12
Department of Education announces that it will reject transgender student bathroom complaints
Anti-Black
Feb 12
Thomas Brunell, who has history of defending voter suppression and racial gerrymandering, withdraws from consideration to be deputy director of the U.S. Census Bureau
Anti-Immigrant
Feb 13
Second judge blocks Trump administration from ending DACA
Anti-Immigrant
Feb 14
State Department prepares to close 20 refugee resettlement agencies and tells 40 others to cut back operations
Anti-Immigrant
Hate Group
Feb 15
Jessica Vaughn, representative of anti-immigrant hate group CIS, testifies before the House Immigration Subcommittee
Anti-Muslim
Feb 15
Federal appeals court rules Trump administration’s travel ban unlawfully discriminates against Muslims
Anti-Muslim
Feb 20
Senior Department of Health and Human Services official placed on leave for promoting conspiracy theories
Radical Right
Feb 22
Donald Trump Jr. likes conspiracy theory tweets about Parkland shooting
Anti-Immigrant
Feb 22
USCIS changes mission statement to remove phrase referring to America “as a nation of immigrants”
Anti-Immigrant
Feb 23
President Trump compares immigrants to snakes at CPAC
Radical Right
Feb 24
President Trump retweets Sandy Hook conspiracy theorists
Anti-Immigrant
Feb 24
President Trump makes inaccurate, misleading statements about diversity visa lottery system