4 Trump, the Far Right and Waco [25/03/2022]*

Trump, the Far Right and Waco [25/03/2022]

Donald Trump has always been a far-right Republican. His harsh, racist immigration policy on Muslims entering the country and his rallying of the January 6th insurrection, demonstrate his lean toward the far-right extreme. After he failed in the 2020 election, Trump asserted himself as an extremely far-right candidate for the 2024 elections. He held meetings with white supremacists Nick Fuentes and announced that his first campaign rally will be held in Waco, Texas. To the extreme far right in America, Waco holds a huge amount of significance. In this article, I will examine the significance of Waco to the American far right, following terror attacks inspired by the Siege at Waco and how this demonstrates Trump's far-right appeal. 

ATF supporters clashing with protestors at the Waco Siege (Source:ApImages)

The Branch Devidians

The siege at Waco ignites many passionate conversations about the power, influence and violence of federal law enforcement agencies. At its core, however, sits the ugliness of the Branch Davidian Cult. The siege on Waco did not begin on February 28th 1993, when the ATF raided the Waco compound, but in 1981, when David Karesh joined the Branch Davidians. A common misconception is that Karesh started the cult, but this is not the case. The cult was started in 1930, by the Bulgarian immigrant Victor Houteff. Houteff was dissatisfied with the Seventh-Day Adventists and believed that the true mosiah was not Jesus, but had yet to come. Houteff's teachings also included apocalyptic beliefs, telling his followers that the end of the world was imminent. Houteff would purchase a large compound in Waco, Texas, naming it Mount Carmel after the biblical holy mountain in Israel. The group would double down on their doomsday beliefs in the 1950s, after the death of Houteff. New leader Benjamin Roden claimed to have spoken to God, who told him the world would end in 1959. When this did not happen, many Branch Davidians, as they were now called, abandoned the group.

Mount Carmel Compound in Waco, Texas (Source: ApImages)

The group would see a resurgence in the early 1980s when a young man named Vernon Howell, who would later change his name to David Karesh, joined the group. Howell had become a born-again Christian, after a troubled past. He had joined the Southern Baptists and Seventh Day Adventist Movement before joining the Branch Davidians. In the group, Howell moved up the ranks quickly, possibly due to a rumoured romance between him and then-leader Lois Roden, the wife of Benjamin Roden. Howell would only become the leader of the group, after benjamin's and Lois' son, George, was arrested for murdering another leadership rival. Now with no other leadership candidates available, Vernon Howell was the leader of the Branch Davidians. 

In 1990, Howell would change his name to David Karesh after the Biblical Kings David and Cyrus, or Karesh. Karesh constantly preached doomsday prophecies to his followers. Constant religious sermons and teachings would lead to the Branch Davidians becoming a dedicated, brainwashed cult. Karesh would carry out several horrific crimes at the compound. Mainly, widespread paedophilia. Karesh would marry multiple young girls, fathering 13 children among his many wives. More concerning to law enforcement were the claims that the cult had a large stash of unregistered weapons and explosives. Karesh believed that the group should be prepared for the end of the world, so stored a massive arsenal of various guns. 

After multiple stories and rumours of large amounts of gunfire at the Mount Carmel Compound, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco became aware of the group. They would attempt to execute a search warrant on the compound on February 28th 1993. The cult would resist the warrant, resulting in a firefight between the ATF and the Branch Davidians. In this initial firefight, 5 ATF agents were killed, 5 Davidians were killed and 16 other ATF agents were injured. This would be the start of the Waco Siege. 

References 

Carless, W. (2023) Trump holding his next rally in Waco, Texas, sends a message to the far right, experts say, USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network. Available at: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/21/trump-rally-waco-texas-history-raid-on-branch-davidian-compound/11510179002/ (Accessed: March 27, 2023). 

(Carless, 2023)