Interior Secretary Doug Burgum condemned the ideology of the white nationalist group Patriot Front but refrained from calling for President Donald Trump to denounce the organization, citing First Amendment protections for offensive speech. Burgum stated, "I think certainly what they stand for is nothing I could possibly agree with," during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union on July 5, 2026. He emphasized that free speech is a foundational principle of the United States, even when it involves speech that many may find reprehensible.
The Patriot Front group, which marched in Washington on the Fourth of July, is a Texas-based white supremacist organization founded in 2017 and led by Thomas Ryan Rousseau. According to the Anti-Defamation League, members of the group believe that their ancestors conquered America and bestowed it exclusively to them.
Burgum noted that the group formed after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, and subsequently broke from the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America. When pressed by CNN’s Dana Bash on whether he would recommend that Trump condemn Patriot Front, Burgum did not provide a direct answer, reiterating that the First Amendment protects speech and demonstrations that many Americans find offensive.
He contrasted the demonstration with broader displays of national unity observed during Independence Day celebrations, stating, "The good news is these small things, I think, are the rare example. What we’ve seen this week is people unifying around our country, unifying around the flag." Burgum concluded by asserting that constitutional protections extend to all forms of speech, including those that are objectionable.