CAS Expert: Right-Wing Extremists Remain a Threat Under Biden Administration

Dr. Lisa Waldner

Lisa Waldner

Right-wing extremists are not going to go away just because a new president and leadership has entered the White House, said Lisa Waldner, associate dean and sociology professor, College of Arts and Sciences, at the University of St. Thomas.

“They are no longer afraid of being out in the open about their views. They are emboldened,” said Waldner, who studies U.S. extremist and militia groups at the St. Paul, Minnesota, university.

These people, some of whom have been labeled domestic terrorists by the FBI, are energized and fueled by their grievances. But there are steps the newly inaugurated President Joe Biden, as well as the average citizen, can take to counter extremism thinking.

Hear Waldner's thoughts in this exclusive video interview with the Newsroom. Also see her Jan. 13 interview with WCCO, the CBS station in Minneapolis-St. Paul.