apogies to matt damon, we ran out of time. "nightline" is next. thank you for watching, good night, everybody! this is "nightline." >> tonight, confronting hate. >> hail trump! hail our people sclach. >> richard spencer, the man who coined the term "alt-right" -- >> white people are ruling right now. >> emboldened by the election results, spreading his racially extreme world view. >> donald trump slingshoted our movement into fame. >> we travel to texas a&m. where his words inciting massive protests. are you trying to normalize racism? >> yes. i'm trying to normalize racism, as you call it, absolutely. plus a bronx tale. we take you to opening night of

broadw broadway's boogie-down musical. with robert de niro directing, anything can happen. >> listen, donald trump was elected, we don't know anything these days. >> behind the scenes with stars whose dreams are coming true. one proud pa. >> she's she's on broadway, how cool is it? >> our anchor byron. >> you point them as well as you can -- >> but first the "nightline 5." constipated? use dulcolax tablets for gentle overnight relief, suppositories for relief in minutes, stool softeners for comfortable relief of hard stools. dull la kaction for dependable relief. i've seen a change in einstein. the number one ingredient was beef. >> the beef was fantastic. >> he has enough energy to believe he can jump high enough to catch a bird. >> try beneful originals with beef as the number one ingredient. >> number one in just 6

good evening. thanks for joining us. tonight we take you to a showdown between a self-proclaimed white nationalist and hundreds of protesters. richard spencer, founder of the so-called alt-right movement which has gained national attention in recent months, became infamous when video went viral of his supporters hailing trump with nazi salutes. when he accepted an invitation to speak on a college campus, the community stood against him. >> reporter: emotions bubbling over at texas a&m. with the university becoming an ideological battleground. last night, thousands came together to protest one man. >> white people are ruling right now. white people have tremendous amount of power. >> reporter: richard spencer, the man who coined the term

alt-right, who critics are now calling a suit and tie racist. >> hail trump! hail our people! hail victory! >> reporter: last month this video of spencer at a so-called alt-right conference exalting in trump's win. going viral after some in attendance went as far as throwing the deeply disturbing nazi salute, propelling him into the national spotlight. >> a white country, designed for ourselves and our policy teboss >> reporter: his movement he says boosted by trump's win. >> you went from obscurity to notoriety. >> i think donald trump slingshoted our movement into fame. >> reporter: we traveled to texas to examine the roots of the new generation of racial extremism, meeting up with a 38-year-old just before his next event. >> you gave a speech, it went viral on "the atlantic." at the end you said, hail trump. hail victory. you laugh. why? >> because that was said in a spirit of irony and exuberance.

>> what is exuberant about genocide? what is fun about mass murder? >> i said hail trump, but i held up a glass of whiskey. there's some people that, a half dozen in the audience, who gave a roman salute. >> it's not a roman salute, you know that, it is a nazi party salu salute. are you trying to normalize racism? >> yes, i'm trying to normal it racism as you call it, absolutely, i'm trying to nor l normalize my ideas, our ideas of the alt-right, yes. i do not want the alt-right to be a fringe movement, i want the alt-right to be a dominant movement. >> reporter: he claims he's not a white supremacist or a racist but it is difficult to understand his inflammatory rhetoric in any other way. you told "mother jones" his pan ins and african-americans have lower average iqs than whites and are more genetically predisposed to commit crimes. >> yes. >> that is a classic tenet of white supremacy. >> it's empirical fact. >> genetically predisposed? that is not a fact. >> when you study average intelligence around the world

and you keep getting the same answer, at some point you're going to have to look towards genetics as a cause. >> what do your parents think of your ideas? >> they think i'm a bit crazy. >> they do? it's actually strained your relationship, according to you? >> a lot of things have been strained because of my activism, yes. it's been very difficult. >> businesses in the montana have banned you, restaurants have said you can't come? >> sure. i've been banned from most of europe. >> reporter: texas a&m denounced his views but decided not to ban him, citing free speech. he was invited by a former student, hoping to spread his incendiary views. his presence today not without considerable controversy. >> we don't like him! >> go home spencer, we don't want you, that's what he's saying. >> right. i'm here. i think that's good. >> do you feel like a pariah, though? do you feel like a skunk at the garden party? >> a skunk at the garden party? no. >> what kinds of things were you shouting? >> i want people to see through

their lies and misguidance. they are not alt-right. they are not racial realists. they are neo-nazis. >> look, they're just like -- they're gutter punks. they're not good people. let's be honest. hey, could i borrow a marker? thanks. >> reporter: with our cameras rolling spencer further defies his detractors, writing on a wall the students set up to voice messages against him. >> you enjoy being a provocateur? >> yeah, who wasn't? >> reporter: spencer and his supporters feel emboldened by a political landscape he never dreamed of. >> thank you very much. >> what was your reaction the moment you knew that trump won the presidency? >> it was a kind of miracle. if someone told me two years ago that donald trump would be the alt-right hero and he would be president -- i would be like, what ridiculous movie are you talking about? this is not real life. but it is real life. >> reporter: although the president-elect publicly distanced himself from the alt-right in an interview with

the "new york times." >> alt-right. you say you coined the phrase. >> yes. >> what does it mean to you? >> the identity politics for white people in the 21st century. look. i think the alt-right has gained a great deal of ground precisely because we are provocative and precisely because -- to use bad language, we don't give a [ bleep ]. >> the term alt-right is really nothing more than a rebranding of white supremacy for the digital 18 age. i don't think anybody should be fooled by what it is at its core, and that is, white supremacy. >> reporter: according to the southern poverty law center there's already been a spike of hate crimes and harassment in the days after the presidential election. more than 800 reported in 47 states. they believe the first line of defense is spotlighting what they consider dangerous hate speech. >> richard spencer. he's the head of the alt-right. the godfather of the alt-right. and quite frankly, mr. trump ran a racially divisive campaign.

i think the media has an obligation to cover richard spencer. >> no kkk! >> the shouting, this pretty rowdy group of protesters, a coalition of student groups and anti-hate groups who says, he has every right to say what he says, but it's their first amendment right to protest. >> this is us uniting together to have fun and come together. >> reporter: spencer says his ideal world is an all-white ethno-state where races are segregated, with a peaceful ethnic cleansing. >> would i be allowed to live in your ethno-state? >> no, but you could have your own ethno-state. >> very gracious of you. >> this would be a new type of society. a big empire for all europeans -- >> how do you remove 100 million blacks, latinos, asians from your ethno-state? >> the ethno-state is an ideal. it's not going to happen tomorrow morning. >> you're quoted as saying it could be horribly bloody and terrible. that that's a possibility.

>> of course that's a possibility. i think the current paradigm that we are living under is going to lead to blood and tears, period. >> you're predicting a race war? basically. >> i don't know exactly what's going to happen, but yes, i do think that it will be a crack-up predominantly on racial lines. >> reporter: as night pfalls, several hundred have gathered for spencer's talk. we're about ten minutes away and he has a packed house. i would expect fireworks. across the street the university's president signs that very wall that spencer wrote on earlier in the day. >> well, i believe we live in a world where the differences actually make us stronger. >> reporter: and he, along with a series of musicians, students -- >> aggies united! >> reporter: literally drowning out his hateful message at the nearby football stadium. >> when there's fear and hate inside us, when our differences divide us, let love lead the way. i love you all. >> i'm referring to people like

you -- >> reporter: back at spencer's event, the vast majority of his audience indeed was there in opposition. with multiple outbursts and clashes erupting during his speech. security had to intervien to de-escalate several volatile exchanges. at one point, police in riot gear entered the student union. but none of the hostility took spencer off message. >> this is out of goddamn country. our goddamn country. >> reporter: at the football stadium, it is the soaring message of tolerance and diversity that unites the aggies and drowns out that hateful and unwelcome din next door. ♪ up next, it's one of the hottest shows on broadway. "a bronx tale." co-director robert de niro tells us about his creative process. and my "nightline" coanchor byron pitts has a very special connection to the show. easy booger man.

take mucinex dm. it'll take care of your cough. fine! i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! ah! david, please, listen. still not coughing. not fair you guys! waffles are my favorite! ah! some cough medicines only last 4 hours. but just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ why does your tummy go "grumbily, grumbily, grumbily"? no more questions for you! ooph, that milk in your cereal

was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. good, right? mmm, yeah. lactaid. the milk that doesn't mess with you. nothseafood celebration.self" like red lobster's holiday so try new dishes like the new grand seafood feast, and the new wild-caught lobster & shrimp trio, with a lobster mac-and-cheese topped lobster tail. come treat yourself to feast fit for the season before it ends. hey, need fast try cool mint zantac. it releases a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. try cool mint zantac. no pill relieves heartburn faster.

this is violet. she's been waiting for this moment for awhile. a moment other kids wouldn't think twice about. her first bowl of cheerios. because now that cheerios are gluten free, violet, and many others are enjoying their first bowl today. afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine.

all seems beautiful to me. seeing a broadway show with your daughter is an emotional experience. seeing a broadway show starring your daughter might bring you to tears. tonight we can live a parent's proudest moments through the teary eyes of my "nightline" coanchor, byron pitts. >> family's in the car, we're headed ed ted to longacre thea see robert de niro's "the bronx tale." >> reporter: opening night always special but this is personal. my youngest christiane making her broadway debut. >> my late mother used to say, child, about to break a bra strap, i'm so proud. look at the line.

>> congratulations. >> thanks a lot. >> reporter: a bronx tale." chazz palminteri's awe biographic at one-man show that became a classic film of the '90s starring robert de niro. >> that's bad money. >> reporter: a young boy caught between the love of his father and admiration of a local mob boss sonny. >> leave my son alone, please. >> hey. don't you see how i treat that kid? i treat that kid like he's my son. >> he ain't your son, he's my son. >> this is "a bronx tale." >> reporter: the story timeless and now modernized for broadway. the do-wop soundtrack of the 1960s the backdrop for a brand-new musical. at the helm, veterans of stage and screen, jerry zax and de niro, taking his first stab at broadway directing. >> you're veterans. are you nervous? opening night? >> i feel good. i hope i'm right. listen, donald trump was ele elected, we don't know anything these days. >> any clashes? >> it's an impossible situation

we've made work. we've made it work because i think we've been very respectful of each other. >> reporter: the movie set the spotlight on new york's diversity, undertones of status and race. ♪ boys like him >> reporter: translated to stage. >> this relationship between father and son, the man he admires who's not his dad, the issues of race and interracial couples, talk about those moral dilemmas. >> people are not -- nobody's all black, all white, you know. it's just not that way. >> so you're saying that donald trump has some redeeming -- >> again, and it's -- in essence, i am saying that possibly i give him the benefit of the doubt. you know, that's a fair thing to do. >> he's a punk. he's a dog. >> reporter: de niro had strong words for the candidate before the election. as part of the vote your future campaign. >> do you regret at all the video clip? >> not at all. if he has the gall to say such

horrible things, whether he really meant them or not, that affects people. then somebody has to say no. the same to you. i said, you said you want to punch people in the days? i want to punch you in the face, how do you like that, how's that feel? that's all. that's simple. >> yeah. >> but now he's the president, you know. he said all those horrible things and i can't tell him, what, are you kidding? now he's got to grow up and be the president. >> that's the way he was in rehearsal with me, unbelievable. >> reporter: we went behind the scenes backstage to meet some of the stars. >> this is our stage. this is where we enter from stage right. >> reporter: tony-nominated nick cordero playing sonny, a mobster's mobster. ♪ treat them well but not too well ♪ >> we have to get creative with how everything is stored. here we are barging into the hair and wig room. all keeps of hairy wiggery. sonny takes this kid under his wing, teaches him about the real world, how things aren't always

black and white, that you have to make complicated decisions and what kind of a man do you want to be, do you want to live in love or do you want to live in fear? ♪ you want to know what to give them the answer ain't love it's fear ♪ >> sonny's clearly made a choice of fear is his motivator. >> as you know, post-election, america is a divided nation. where does "a bronx tale" fit do you think? >> it's interesting, i read a review on our play that said that if this show had opened last season, it might be a nostalgia throwback piece. but now, given the election, it seems a little morrell. i think we're all being asked that question. is it better to live in fear or in love? >> reporter: we swing by and meet the lead of the show. >> hey, how are you? >> reporter: bobby conte thornton, who plays "c," his first role on broadway, 24 years old. >> how is it when you walk out on that stage? >> it's fun now. because my longest stage partner is essentially the audience for the show. and so it's immediately

assessing their energy and what they're kind of looking for. >> reporter: an embarrassing father, i couldn't help but say hi to chris. >> does it seem real? >> it does. the place is real, the people are real. but it's still the dream. and it still feels like there's so much further to go. >> do you appreciate what a gift you all have been for the young actors in the show? >> it's the best. i mean, i love them. we get them to pay attention and to appreciate how privileged they are to be doing a broadway show. >> gary's a great jewish mother. >> that's right, i am. i am. ♪ >> reporter: outside, after opening night, i couldn't stop beaming. we are shamelessly giddy. >> shamelessly giddy! >> a great poem by jebron, says parenting, what you hope to do as parenting, is that you're the bow and the child is the arrow, you point them as high as you can. >> reporter: as my family has

discovered, dreams are a journey that for the few and the fortunate never end. >> hey! congratulations. >> thank you. don't cry again. there's nothing like it. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm byron pitts in new york. up next, a date that will live in infamy. our tribute, remembering pearl harbor.

try theraflu expressmax,nd flu hold you back now in new caplets. it's the only cold & flu caplet that has a maximum strength formula with a unique warming sensation you instantly feel. theraflu. for a powerful comeback. new expressmax caplets. and let roomba from irobot help with your everyday messes. roomba navigates your entire home. cleaning up pet hair and debris for up to 2 hours. which means your floors are always clean. you and roomba, from irobot. better. together. this holiday, on america's most awarded brand, during the ford year end event. ford, the brand with the most 5-star ratings... the highest owner loyalty... and award-winning value from kelley blue book. giving drivers what matters most. that's how you become america's best-selling brand. shop now during the ford year end event. get a thousand dollars ford smart bonus cash on select models, on top of all other great offers. see your local ford dealer today.

finally tonight, we mark the 75th anniversary of the infamous attack on pearl harbor with an medication by abc's graphic artist kevin barttells narrated by abc editor joel hershon. >> december 7th, 1941. nearly an hour before dawn, a fleet of 353 aircraft takes off from four aircraft carriers. positioned 132 miles off the coast of oahu. the mission is known simply as "operation z." 7:55 a.m. a dark swarm appears on the

horizon. moments later, the first wave of the attack begins. fort island and battleship row are the first to go. 8:00 a.m. bombs rain from the morning sky. striking the "nevada," "arizona," "tennessee." in less than five minutes, seven of the eight ships are either damaged or destroyed. 8:06 a.m. miles above, a nakajima b-5-m releases four direct hits from 800-kilogram bombs exploding across the deck of the "uss arizona." nine minutes later the burning battleship lists and sinks, taking with her 1,177 lives. 8:55 a.m. the second wave begins. 167 additional japanese aircraft join the attack. but this time the american anti-aircraft defense is strong. six u.s. fighter pilots engage

japanese bombers in a ferocious dogfight above the fiery landscape. it was over in less than two hours. 2,403 americans lost their lives. another 1,178 sustained injuries. >> unfathomable loss. in memoriam, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. thanks for watching abc news. as always we're online at abcnews.com and our