WASHINGTON—A new report released today by People For the American Way examines the support given by the U.S. Religious Right and white nationalist leaders to efforts by President Vladimir Putin’s regime to position Russia as the head of a new “Traditionalist International.” The report was authored by freelance journalist and researcher Casey Michel, who has covered the ties between Russia and far-right activists in the U.S. for POLITICO Magazine, The Daily Beast, and other national outlets.

The report documents that Religious Right and white nationalist leaders who were among Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters have also shown admiration, if not adoration, for Putin, who has been supporting far-right movements across Europe. In the report, Michel notes, President Trump has done nothing “to disabuse Putin of the idea that Moscow suddenly has a regressive, illiberal friend in Washington.”

“As Americans continue to seek answers about the connections between Trump’s campaign and the Russian regime, it is important to understand the close ties between Putin and Trump’s cheerleaders in the American Right,” said Peter Montgomery, an expert on the Religious Right and a senior fellow at People For the American Way.

People For the American Way’s Right Wing Watch blog has reported extensively on the Religious Right teaming up with Putin and his Russian allies in order to promote anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice policies in the name of “traditional” values on family, sexuality, and gender.

Read the full report: “The Rise of the ‘Traditionalist International’: How the American Right Learned to Love Moscow in the Era of Trump”

 

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.

##