On November 7th, the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College published a conversation between Thomas J. Main, a Marxe professor and author of the book “The Rise of the Alt-Right”, and Mark Lilla, professor of the Humanities at Columbia University and author of the book “The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics”. Their point of discussion was directed to that day’s topic: the Alt-right”.

The conversation centered on the consequences of extreme policies and the types of politics which could serve as a threat to democracy. President Trump’s takeover of the White House since 2016 has brought to light a political movement known as the Alt-Right which has been embraced by some in the media and most Republican politicians in the United States who fear crossing a president popular with Republican voters. Here’s some material from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs event’s announcement:

Donald Trump’s election as president in 2016 suddenly brought to prominence a political movement that few in political circles or the mainstream media had paid much attention to: the so-called Alt-Right. Steven Bannon, Trump’s campaign manager, was a leading figure in the movement, and the election results seemed to give it a real opportunity to gain some political power.

But what is the Alt-Right? Is it a movement, a theory, a trend, or just an unorganized group of people far outside of what used to be the political mainstream in America? Or, could it be all of these things? Why has it suddenly emerged into prominence? What impact is it having on American politics today, and what are the prospects for the Alt-Right in the future?

Through careful research and analysis, The Rise of the Alt-Right addresses these and other questions, tracing the movement’s history from the founding of modern conservatism in postwar America to the current Trump era. Although the Alt-Right might seem to be just the latest extremist group to arise in the United States―one likely to take its place in the graveyard of its many predecessors―Thomas J. Main analyzes evidence that the Alt-Right is having a greater influence on the American political mainstream than did past extremist tendencies.

From the video below, we will get more on how this so-called alt-right can be a new challenge to democracy. The conversation lasted for about 55 minutes. Take a look: