As with many other trends in our crisis-ridden capitalist world, the term “alt-right” meteorically arose from obscure corners of the internet to one of the most discussed political phenomena in the US. Donald Trump’s appointment of former Breitbart media executive, Steve Bannon, first as his campaign manager, then as his White House chief strategist, is interpreted by many as the alt-right’s entrance into the mainstream. Frenzied liberal media point to the alt-right as akin to Donald Trump’s brownshirts or stormtroopers, perpetuating the unscientific conclusion that Trump took power on the basis of a fascist movement.

On the day after the election, Americans woke to find themselves in a "strange new land." The Washington Post called Trump's victory a "cataclysmic, history-making upset." According to insider reports, the Republican National Committee and even Donald Trump himself did not expect the result.