Researchers who study extremist groups say that it’s too soon to tell which direction the groups will take in the fallout of last week’s storming of the U.S. Capitol, but they are not likely to go away.
Backlash to the violence has divided Republicans and may also cause some extremist groups to splinter. But academics who track domestic threats say these groups will continue to find an audience.
Some are already talking about attending the inauguration of Joe Biden.
“This will be different from other domestic extremist movements in the U.S. in that it will remain, to an extent, a voting bloc," said Emerson T. Brooking, who tracks extremists for the nonprofit Atlantic Council. "There will be some enduring popularity for this movement. And that means that there will always be a temptation for politicians to court, and feed this movement.”
Brooking said that what happens next will be determined, to a large extent, by a small number of influencers.
