How My White, Christian, Mom Friends Became the Far-Right’s Secret Weapon

Watching old friends get radicalized by domestic extremists is one of those things that feels like it’ll never happen to you. Especially when the friends in question are all nice, white, Christian moms.

Conversations about “radicalization” tend to focus on young men (typically Muslim or white nationalist) and usually revolve around the planning and perpetration of explicitly violent acts. My friends don’t tick those boxes.

Devoted wives and mothers, these women are smart, kind, and dedicated to their faith. They were always fairly conservative—choosing traditional gender roles and celebrating a quiet, gentle version of femininity that celebrates women as the “heart of the home”—but not politically active.

So despite the fact that I spent two years studying the power of women to shape our world, it was jarring to watch people I knew transform into vocal supporters of a radical and violent political movement. Over the course of the last five years, they went from traditionally conservative to downright fringey—publicly spouting ideas that live solidly in the far-right canon. 

Not simply “pro-life” but “abortion is child sacrifice.”

Not just “anti-mask” but “making people wear masks is akin to the holocaust.”

Not only “pro-family-values” but “gay people will cause the literal downfall of America.”

Not simply “pro-second-amendment-rights” but “guns are sacred.”

When the women I knew became unrecognizable in their political fervor and public vitriol toward any idea that clashed with their vision of what our country “should” be, I was forced to acknowledge that these women weren’t just getting a little “Trumpy.” They were being radicalized and weaponized. 

The far-right has recognized the untapped power of white, conservative Christian women and is actively arming them with misinformation-fueled fear and rage in order to push extremist policies into law and shift the larger culture further right. And it’s working. 

These women are running for office, building massive social media followings, and advancing oppressive local, state, and federal policies that pose a serious threat to anyone who is not white, straight, and Christian. All from the comfort of their mom groups, church retreats, homeschool co-ops, wine clubs, and Bible studies.

There are two primary reasons this campaign to radicalize white Christian women has been successful: 1) White Christian women sense a threat to the White, patriarchal power that protects them and grants them power by proximity. And 2) the radicalization process is clothed in religious language and integrated into the faith that makes up the bulk of their identity.

From the meteoric rise of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert in the U.S. to the success of the new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Eloni, the effectiveness of using radicalized women to advance white, patriarchal power structures is undeniable. It’s hard to argue that patriarchy is bad for women when you’ve got a string of well-known, powerful women telling you that it’s awesome. (Never mind the fact that they’re trading the well-being of their entire gender for their own individual success, power, and influence.)

It’s past time for the U.S. to wake up and acknowledge the danger these women pose. Black women and women of color have warned us about the destructive alliance between white women, patriarchy, and white supremacy for more than a century… but we failed to listen.

While White women weaponizing their experience is nothing new, prior attempts to leverage women’s voices in social/political movements were hamstrung by the fact that women held far less power than they do now. Today, women are the majority of registered voters, the primary driver of the global economy, they still do the vast majority of family caregiving and are more involved in their children’s education. They are also more likely to volunteer for charitable causes and are responsible for the majority of nonprofit donations.

Now, after decades of being overlooked, belittled, undervalued, and dismissed by the Left for choosing traditional gender roles (a different conversation for a different time), throngs of white, Christian, women are not only embracing extremist ideologies… they’re actively advancing them. 

We must acknowledge and confront the danger posed by radicalized Christian white women because, truly, there is no hate that competes with their version of Christian “love.”

And if you’re a white woman from a Christian background like I am, it’s time to face the fact that de-radicalizing other white Christian women is our job whether we like it or not. These are our people and no one else has the access we have, speaks the language, or understands the culture like we do. 

We have a responsibility to push back against our radicalized friends without burning those bridges in rage or turning our back in frustration—to ask hard questions, have difficult conversations, remind people what Jesus stood for, point out mental gymnastics when we see it, and explain the actual impact of their views on real people. It’s terrible, difficult work and the odds of success are low. 

But it’s our work to do.