ADL Labels “America First” as “Hate Speech”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has added the slogan “America First” to its online Glossary of Extremism & Hate. The move has prompted swift blowback from conservatives who use “America First” as shorthand for a populist, pro-American sovereignty agenda. 

Since 2016, the ADL has warned public figures about what they perceive as the slogan’s World War II baggage. When Donald Trump embraced “America First” during his first run for the Presidency, ADL leaders urged him to “reconsider,” noting the original America First Committee’s history and the “undercurrents of anti-Semitism and bigotry” around it.

Last week, social posts began circulating screenshots showing “America First” listed in the ADL glossary as an extremist or antisemitic term. From the ADL webpage:

"America first" is a term that references the World War Two-era "America First Committee," and is used by extremists in antisemitic, racist and xenophobic ways. America First, in conservative circles, often refers to an ideology that was promoted by Donald Trump when he ran for office and served in office, which emphasizes American nationalism, nonintervention and anti-immigrant and anti-globalism beliefs.

“America First” is a mainstream political slogan used by Republican candidates and grassroots activists who reject any hateful meaning. It has been particularly associated with the MAGA movement. The ADL, for its part, says its glossary documents how extremists use terms, not how every American uses them. The debate, then, is less about one phrase and more about who gets to define the line between protected speech and hate—and why they get to draw it.

The ADL’s declaration of “America First” as extremist speech comes as a number of MAGA influencers—Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Steve Bannon, among others—have questioned the administration’s policies vis a vis Israel and its ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. A popular sentiment expressed about some of Trump’s recent policies is “this is Israel First, not America First,” and “We voted for America First, not Israel First.“

This sentiment became widely noticed following the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but most recently has marked the discussion of the administration’s decision (quickly reversed) to deny FEMA aid to States which boycotted Israel.

The ADL’s addition of “America First” arrives amid what it claims as record numbers of antisemitic incidents and fierce campus, cultural, and political fights over Israel and free speech. Earlier this year, the ADL reported a historic high in U.S. antisemitic incidents and argued that anger over Israel now drives a large share of the activity, especially on campuses.

Here in Alabama, Montgomery’s Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has long maintained a “Hate Map” that places some right-leaning or religious organizations in “hate group” categories. Those designations have sparked a series of high-profile legal challenges:

• Coral Ridge Ministries v. SPLC (2022): Coral Ridge, a Christian ministry, sued after SPLC listed it as an anti-LGBTQ “hate group.” The Eleventh Circuit upheld dismissal on “actual malice” grounds, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case—over a dissent from Justice Thomas—leaving the dismissal in place.
• Dustin Inman Society v. SPLC (ongoing): A Georgia-based immigration-enforcement nonprofit sued over SPLC’s “anti-immigrant hate group” label. In April 2023, a federal judge denied SPLC’s motion to dismiss, allowing discovery to proceed. Reporting since then notes the case is active, with summary-judgment briefing underway.
• Maajid Nawaz & Quilliam Foundation (2018): SPLC settled a defamation suit, paying $3.375 million and issuing a public apology after falsely branding Nawaz as an “anti-Muslim extremist.”

Courts often treat “hate group” labels as opinion protected by the First Amendment, but some suits survive early dismissal when plaintiffs plausibly allege defamatory statements of fact or actual malice. The outcomes shape how watchdog groups, donors, platforms, and the public treat these designations. The FBI was one such group that relied on the SPLC for these designations, until it was forced to stop.

Putting “America First” in an extremism glossary may be meant to be taken in context, but in practice it has touched a live wire. Many voters, especially large portions of President Trump’s base, hear a patriotic pledge; the ADL sees an extremist slogan.

Even more concerning: for years, the ADL has trained law enforcement, particularly the FBI, in how to recognize “hate speech.” Given recent actions against traditional Catholics, mothers protesting at school board meetings and other instances of overreach by weaponized agencies, can we be sure that this behavior won’t be turned against those who support “America First“—including large portions of President Trump’s MAGA base?