White Nationalist “Disaster Tourism” as a Recruitment Tool

A 60 Minutes segment aired Sunday reported that white nationalist organizations, including Patriot Front and the Active Club, have traveled to storm-affected U.S. communities to assist rebuilding while seeking new members. Correspondent Leslie Stahl interviewed Active Club co-founder Robert Rundo about the group’s “disaster tourism” practice.

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The 60 Minutes segment reports that white nationalist groups have descended on storm-ravaged areas across the United States to assist rebuilding and recruit members, describing the activity as “disaster tourism.” The groups say the effort is intended to change public perceptions of fascism.

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• Robert Rundo – Co-founder of Active Club, describes himself as a “nationalist” who puts “my people” (white, European-descended) first.

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• Active Club – Launched in 2020 as a network for “disgruntled, young white men” to train together and share ideology; now has over 90 chapters.

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• Patriot Front – Another white nationalist organization noted for deploying to disaster zones alongside Active Club.

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Rundo framed disaster relief as “directly helping our people,” arguing that the group’s presence serves both humanitarian and recruitment goals. He called the activity “fun in fascism” and said handing out flyers and providing water can change observers’ opinions. Watchdog groups cited in the segment label Active Club as a fast-growing white supremacist network that is antisemitic, anti-immigrant and anti-democratic.

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Watchdog groups cited in the segment label Active Club as a fast-growing white supremacist network that is antisemitic, anti-immigrant and anti-democratic, and they highlight the group’s use of disaster relief as a recruitment tool.

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Disaster tourism gives extremist groups visibility, recruitment opportunities, and potential infiltration of legitimate relief work, which could erode public trust in disaster response and amplify extremist messaging.

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Rundo claimed he would offer water to a non-white person in need, but the segment provides no independent verification. The report also lacks data on the overall impact of the groups’ assistance.

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• “Going to a disaster relief is directly helping our people,” — Robert Rundo, Active Club co-founder

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• “Of course. You know, there’s fun in fascism!” — Robert Rundo

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• “If somebody wants to contact us later, that’s fine.” — Robert Rundo

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The 60 Minutes segment is available via CBS. The report does not detail any specific investigations or follow-up actions.

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