Richard Spencer speaks at University of Florida today. Who is he?

Richard Spencer is the 39-year-old largely associated with rebranding white supremacy. 

He's speaking at the University of Florida Thursday, and the reason Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency. Spencer prefers the term "alt-right." 

"Alt-right" covers a loosely defined group whose far-right ideology includes racism, populism and white nationalism

In 2008, Spencer began using the term "alternative right" or "alt-right." In 2010, he founded alternativeright.com, a space for white supremacist news and perspectives. He's also leader of the National Policy Institute, which is described very vaguely online on its Facebook page as "an independent research and educational foundation." Its listed website is not active. 

Spencer was born in Boston, but grew up in an affluent neighborhood of Dallas. He graduated from University of Virginia in 2001 and got a master's in humanities at the University of Chicago. His Twitter profile says he's now living in Alexandria, Va., but often makes trips to Montana, the headquarters for altright.com and his family farms, according to Mother Jones. He's married to a Russian Canadian woman, Nina Kouprianova and has a young daughter.

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According to an Atlantic article written by one of Spencer's childhood prep school classmates, he was a good student, but not a great one. But now, author Graeme Wood says Spencer's racism and sexism come across in a polished way. Describing Alternative Right, Wood says the "racism and sexism were expressed with good grammar and a coherent view of the world."

So what is Spencer trying to accomplish? He's trying to change the world, he said in an Atlantic documentary.

"I also have big dreams," he told The Atlantic. "Reviving the Roman Empire would be an empire that would  be welcome to Italians, to Scotts, to Russians, to white Americans to Fins, etcetera. To have a save space for all Europeans from around the world."

He doesn't like to be called a white supremacist, but it's hard to argue that's not who he is. 

"To be white is to be a striver, a crusader, an explorer, and a conqueror. We don’t exploit other groups," he told The Atlantic. "They need us and not the other way around."

His popularity has surged with President Trump's election. He has said the administration has energized the alt-right movement. He's also been seen ending speeches wishing to Europeans to "be great again" and his "Hail Trump! Hail our people! Hail victory" remarks have been met with Nazi salutes 

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