How the Right Created Nick Fuentes — And Why It Matters for the Conservative Movement

Rod Dreher is widely regarded as one of America's sharpest conservative commentators, but his claim that "the left gave birth to Nick Fuentes" gets the origin story wrong. The Groypers did not emerge from progressive think tanks or campus-left agitation; they are a reaction to decades of unmet promises and institutional neglect on the right.

Fuentes and his circle were shaped less by left-wing excess than by right-wing failure. Many who embraced "America First" heard vows to build a wall, root out corruption, and restore opportunity — only to watch those pledges fade amid donor influence and political compromises. Ordinary supporters who expected economic and cultural renewal felt betrayed, and that resentment created space for more extreme voices.

These Groypers are not simply meme-spamming basement trolls. Many are college-aged, media-savvy, articulate, and active across platforms from Telegram to Turning Point USA events. Their rhetoric centers on a language of betrayal: they view the conservative establishment as having abandoned its promises and left a generation adrift.

To be clear, this analysis does not excuse or endorse Fuentes’s past statements. Much of what he has said is antisemitic, inflammatory and indefensible. But dismissing the movement wholly as pure hate overlooks the grievances that amplify it — grievances rooted in perceived hypocrisy and failure to deliver.

The Betrayal of Expectations

Donald Trump ran promising a revolution; critics say he often delivered spectacle instead. He appointed establishment figures, enacted policies seen as favorable to finance and technology sectors, and left parts of his base feeling spiritually and materially shortchanged. Into that vacuum stepped a younger, angrier cohort drawn to unfiltered authenticity and uncompromising rhetoric.

The Groypers differ not just in ideology but in energy and method. Raised online on irony, clips, and conspiracy-friendly ecosystems, they distrust mainstream media, academia, and increasingly, the conservative leadership itself. When they chant "America First," they are often demanding completion of promises they feel were abandoned.

Epstein, Transparency, and the Trust Test

Recent revelations about Jeffrey Epstein have become a litmus test for many on the right. Long-known ties between powerful figures and Epstein have taken on renewed significance as documents and debates about disclosure surface. To Fuentes’s followers, Epstein is symbolic — a sign that elites share privileges, secrets, and immunity from accountability.

Trump once vowed to "lift the lid" on Epstein, and for some in the MAGA base that pledge embodied the movement’s purpose: drain the swamp and name names. But the reality — investigations closed, scrutiny dismissed as a "hoax" by some, and political maneuvering over transparency legislation — has deepened the sense of betrayal for many.

A Movement At War With Itself

The result is a conservative movement that risks internal rupture. The Groypers have built parallel structures — podcasts, payment processors, social networks — that make them less dependent on, and more hostile to, mainstream MAGA. They mock compromises, challenge leaders, and recruit those disillusioned by perceived hypocrisy.

If the broader conservative movement wants to hold together, leaders must reckon honestly with these fractures. That means addressing accountability, delivering on material promises where possible, and confronting extremist rhetoric directly rather than dismissing its underlying causes.

John Mac Ghlionn is a writer and researcher who examines culture, society, and the impact of technology on daily life.