While the phrase "deus vult" has taken on an array of meanings in 21st century political vernacular, many believe that it is a call for America to become an entirely Christian nation.

The phrase “Deus Vult” was also on flags at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. A gunman who killed eight people in 2023 in Allen, Texas, had swastika and “Deus Vult” tattoos.

The alt-right’s memeification of “Deus vult” is just one part of what’s seen as the group’s larger obsession with anti-Islamic discourse and medieval imagery.