Neo-Nazis Seek Bitcoin Donations as They Prepare to Return to Trump’s America

A notorious neo-Nazi group appears to be building up its membership in the U.S., and it’s using cryptocurrency as a way to crowdfund its growth, The Guardian has reported.

“The Base,” which was founded by a former U.S. special forces officer, seeks the destruction of society so that a “white ethnostate can arise out of the ruins,” the Southern Poverty Law Center has written. The group’s leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, formerly worked U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but has lived in Russia since 2017, the SPLC notes. In the past, commentators have questioned whether the group and Nazzaro may have ties to the Russian intelligence services (Nazzaro has vociferously denied this).

The Guardian, which originally outed Nazzaro as the leader of the group in 2020, has now managed to get its hands on a leaked audio message from a purported leader of the fascist group. The voice on the message, which is concealed via voice modulation, speaks about using a “military solution” to advance change in America. “Are we just going to be reactionary? Or are we going to be part of the solution? The military solution,” the person in the leaked audio apparently says. “Because inevitably we’re going to end up in some sort of military situation, what are the choices?”

The Guardian writes that the audio message voice then describes a “black scenario” in which the US government collapses and Base members are called upon to “provide for your family” and for “white women”. “There is no political solution, only a military solution,” the voice says. “So act accordingly.” From the reporting, it’s unclear where the audio was sourced from.

On the day of Trump’s inauguration, The Base also apparently solicited donations via a Bitcoin wallet address, claiming it would use the money to buy weapons and ammunition. In January, the crypto tracking firm Chainanalysis reported that while crypto donations to extremist groups had recently dipped globally, a surge of such activity was impacting large parts of Europe.

The Base is mostly known for its activity in Europe, so the apparent recruiting surge in the U.S. “should raise alarms,” according to an extremism researcher interviewed by The Guardian. Many experts believe neo-Nazis are feeling like it’s safe to pop their heads up after the FBI under President Biden cracked down on extremist groups.

The outlet also notes that it’s unclear whether Trump’s new Justice Department, under the direction of MAGA enthusiast Kash Patel, will prioritize investigations of far-right extremism. Indeed, many expect Patel to shift the bureau’s focus from rightwing extremists to people on the “left” side of the political spectrum. Gizmodo reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Extremism researchers have long noted that rightwing groups felt emboldened during Trump’s first administration. Trump has notably complimented by David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and the so-called “alt-right” experienced its glow-up. Now, with Trump’s new administration underway, some members of those far-right groups aren’t just complimenting Trump, they’re getting official pardons from him. Most notably, the Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years behind bars in 2023, recently received a full pardon from the President. Tarrio, who has previously worked as an FBI informant, has already been re-arrested. He was taken into custody on Friday after allegedly having assaulted a woman who was protesting a political gathering he was at.