The NPR Politics Podcast

Episode: Federal agencies under Trump have been using white nationalist messages
Date: February 19, 2026

Overview

This episode explores concerns that, under President Trump, multiple federal agencies have invoked white nationalist rhetoric and imagery in their official messaging. NPR’s political team—Tamara Keith (White House correspondent), Odette Youssef (domestic extremism reporter), and Mara Liasson (senior national political correspondent)—break down how this messaging has moved from fringe circles into mainstream government policies and communications, the potential motivations and implications, and the responses from both administration officials and civil rights advocates.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Examples of White Nationalist Messaging in Federal Agencies

• Overview of Incidents:
  Odette Youssef presents several recent examples:
  • DHS Social Media Post (August):
    Posted an image of Uncle Sam with the caption “Which Way, American Man?”
    • “To most people, I don’t think that would signal much at all. [...] But ... that caption was taken as a callback to a 20th-century book ... ‘Which Way Western Man,’ an anti-Semitic racist book popular within neo-Nazi circles.”
      — Odette Youssef, [01:07–01:44]
  • DHS Instagram Post:
    Included a song excerpt and the phrase “We’ll have our home again,” referencing music circulated in white nationalist channels.
    — [02:00]
  • Department of Labor Post:
    Used the caption: “One homeland, one people, one heritage, Remember who you are, American.”
    • “Struck some as troublingly similar to Nazi Germany propaganda that translates to ‘one people, one nation, one leader.’”
      — Odette Youssef, [02:45]

The Use of Imagery and Cultural References

• Posts often feature nostalgic, “Norman Rockwellian” imagery of an American past, overwhelmingly depicting white people.
  • “Presumably, what they’re saying, an America lost that overwhelmingly features white people.”
    — Odette Youssef, [03:22]

Spread & Policy Integration

• The messaging is increasingly widespread and becoming a routine part of agency communications, even influencing official policy.
  • The term “remigration”—encouraging immigrants to self-deport—was popularized by European white nationalists and is now part of federal policy, including creation of a State Department office. — [03:46-04:46]
  • Example of Kristi Noem invoking “this country was built by citizens,” which echoes the white nationalist “blood and soil” framing. — [04:46]

Why This Messaging Matters

• Affirmation for Extremists: Public use of such messaging validates and amplifies ideas long circulated on the fringe.
  • “What matters is that over the last year, the Trump administration ... has increasingly learned to speak in the emotional language of white nationalism: Invasion, the antisemitic great replacement theory, ‘homeland under siege’...”
    — Eric Ward (Race Forward), [05:37–06:15]
• From Fringe to Policy:
  Uncoded white nationalist rhetoric has leapt into official announcements and policy documents (national security strategy, Secretary of State speeches).
  • “Now it's embedded. It's embedded in the national security strategy. It’s embedded in the speeches that the Secretary of State gives. This is now much, much bigger than just an ICE recruitment strategy.”
    — Mara Liasson, [07:12]
• Propaganda as a Tool:
  The panel discusses the nature of propaganda and its goal of training emotional reflexes, not just transmitting information.
  • “Propaganda doesn't change minds, it trains reflexes. … [Trump] wants to normalize this type of rhetoric … It is a way of testing normalization and tolerance in the larger American society.”
    — Eric Ward, [08:33–08:56]
  • Messaging intends to evoke pride among some (e.g., homeland) and fear/loathing toward others (“criminal aliens”), a manipulation strategy. — Odette Youssef, [08:56–09:25]

Impact on Policy and Society

• Mass Deportations and “Remigration”:
  Policy has shifted from targeting criminal activity to broad anti-immigrant measures, even including potential denaturalization of citizens (“homegrowns”).
  • “Donald Trump has suggested at times that he would try to deport what he calls the homegrowns. And there is a push to denaturalize people who have become American citizens.”
    — Mara Liasson, [09:39]
• White Minoritization:
  The rhetoric comes as the US approaches a “majority minority” demographic composition, projected by 2040. — [10:28]

The Administration's Response

• DHS Statement:
  “By NPR standards, every American who posts patriotic imagery on the Fourth of July should be canceled and labeled a Nazi. Not everything you dislike is Nazi propaganda.”
  — DHS response, read by Odette Youssef, [12:07]
• White House Statement (on “Great Replacement”):
  “There is nothing racist about wanting to ensure only American citizens vote in American elections. NPR’s bizarre attack on election integrity is an insult to all Americans...”
  — White House response, read by Odette Youssef, [12:55]

Political Motives and Target Audience

• The messaging appears to test the boundaries of what is accepted, with some success in shifting mainstream attitudes—especially around “replacement” narratives and anti-immigration sentiment.
  • “...This is about testing how far these extremist messages might be normalized and made palatable to a broader public.”
    — Odette Youssef, [14:03]
• Even if white nationalists are a minority, they remain a crucial part of the Republican coalition, especially within right-wing media spheres. — Mara Liasson, [14:58–15:22]
• “America for Americans” and similar slogans resonate with broader swathes of the electorate, contributing to Trump’s electoral appeal. — [15:22]

Broader and International Consequences

• US official rhetoric invoking “Western civilization” and border defense has strained relations with traditional European allies.
  • “It’s interesting to see how that kind of framing … is really placing the US at odds with many of our traditional European allies. … This has been quite a turn toward illiberalism that we just haven’t seen … in recent decades in the US.”
    — Odette Youssef, [16:03]
• Such messaging signals who is considered a "real" American, which can increase social division and justify harm to minority communities.
  • “That division, I think, distracts us from ... coming together on national issues. ... It seems, signals that harm done to people in the ‘out group,’ ... may be tolerated, maybe even encouraged. And so it’s really dangerous ... to the fabric of the society and also potentially even to people’s physical safety.”
    — Odette Youssef, [16:03–17:27]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Embedded Messaging:
  • “Once a government starts talking that way, it quietly changes who the country is for.”
    — Eric Ward, [06:15]
• On Propaganda:
  • “Propaganda doesn’t change minds, it trains reflexes.”
    — Eric Ward, [08:33]
• On Policy Drift:
  • “Started out with something that the majority of Americans actually supported … and it morphed into something much, much bigger.”
    — Mara Liasson, [09:39]
• On Testing the Limits:
  • “…This is about testing how far these extremist messages might be normalized and made palatable to a broader public.”
    — Odette Youssef, [14:03]
• On Social Division:
  • “That division distracts us from coming together on national issues ... signals that harm to the ‘out group’ ... will be tolerated, maybe even encouraged.”
    — Odette Youssef, [17:00]

Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:28 | Introduction of hosts and topic | | 01:07 | Examples of coded white nationalist messaging (DHS, Labor) | | 03:17 | Discussion of imagery and subtext | | 03:46 | Spread to policy and “remigration” | | 05:14 | Why the messaging matters, expert commentary (Eric Ward) | | 06:15 | Historical and political context (Charlottesville, Proud Boys, "both sides") | | 07:25 | Defining propaganda; how the rhetoric functions | | 08:56 | Creating emotional associations, political strategy | | 09:39 | Policy expansion: mass deportation, denaturalization | | 12:07 | Trump administration and DHS response | | 13:55 | Motives and target audiences | | 15:22 | Effect on mainstream attitudes, electoral resonance | | 16:03 | Consequences: polarization, harm to out-groups | | 17:27 | Closing remarks |

Tone and Language

• Cautious, Analytical, and Gravely Concerned:
  The hosts maintain a careful, fact-based approach, but underline the serious implications of the trend, frequently clarifying the coded nature of the messaging and linking it to historical examples and contemporary shifts in policy.
• Includes direct quotes from policy-makers, officials, and civil rights advocates to illustrate and underscore points without editorializing outside substantive analysis.

Conclusion

The episode provides both expert analysis and specific, chilling examples of how white nationalist rhetoric has moved from the margins into central government communications and policy under the Trump administration. The discussion highlights the dangers of normalizing such language, the ways it manipulates public emotion and perception, the administration’s unapologetic stance, and the polarizing consequences for American society and its standing among allies.