What Is ‘Vanilla ISIS?’ White Supremacist Groups Earn New Nickname On Social Media

Members of white supremacy groups who have been accused of acts including the recent plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have earned a new name on social media—Vanilla ISIS.

The term trended on Twitter on Saturday morning after author Malcolm Nance appeared on the MSNBC program “Velshi,” where he discussed the recently unfoiled plot that saw the arrest of 13 men, as well as the fact that groups of white men who have either plotted or committed similar acts, usually armed, are not referred to as domestic terrorists but given descriptions like “the Far Right” or “armed militias,” but not as domestic or American terrorists.

Velshi also weighed in on the fact that in other countries, those who committed similar acts against their nation were referred to by their organization’s names—such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda, which helped bring the “Vanilla ISIS” trend to life, after Nance took to Twitter to state that the term should gain traction.

Others quickly seized on the term, using it to reference not only the 13 men known as the “Wolverine Watchmen,” but also other groups and supporters of President Donald Trump, who made headlines during the first Presidential debate by refusing to denounce White Nationalist groups, even telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”

Some also had fun with the term, noting how similar it sounded to the stage name of rapper Robert Van Winkle—better known as Vanilla Ice.

The trend was also tied to a new political ad by Meidas Touch, an organization that has been known for putting out viral ads denouncing the President ahead of the election. While the ad itself does not use the term “Vanilla ISIS” and refers to “Trump Terrorism” instead, they did use the trending hashtag as they shared the ad on social media.

The term came just days after the news broke about the plot in Michigan, as well as continued criticism of the President and his refusal to denounce groups that have previously been accused of similar acts.