Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist notorious for his deeply antisemitic, racist, and misogynistic beliefs, has recently become a focal point of intense controversy within the Republican Party, potentially threatening to fracture the party’s unity. This turmoil was set in motion last week when Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, published a lengthy interview with Fuentes. Fuentes leads the so-called America First movement and is known for denying the Holocaust, praising Adolf Hitler, and expressing virulently misogynistic views.
During the interview, Fuentes launched into explicit antisemitic rhetoric, warning about the supposed threat posed by “organized Jewry” in America. Carlson, meanwhile, criticized prominent Republican figures such as Senator Ted Cruz and former President George W. Bush, labeling them “Christian Zionists” who have been “seized by this brain virus.” The broadcast immediately sparked backlash. Among the voices condemning Carlson was Mike Huckabee, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, who criticized Carlson for giving Fuentes a platform. The debate intensified when Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation — a leading conservative think tank — defended Carlson. Roberts dismissed the critics of Carlson as a “venomous coalition” and affirmed that Carlson “remains and always will be a close friend of the Heritage Foundation.”
Roberts’ statement was widely perceived as an implicit endorsement of Fuentes’ antisemitic worldview, deepening the divide on the right. Influential podcasters, commentators, senators, and other GOP lawmakers voiced strong opinions either defending or condemning Roberts and Carlson. The controversy has become emblematic of broader concerns about rising antisemitism within the MAGA movement. Speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Las Vegas shortly after Roberts’ video, Senator Ted Cruz expressed alarm: “In the last six months, I’ve seen more antisemitism on the right than I have in my entire life.” Cruz condemned silence in the face of Fuentes’ hateful rhetoric, stating bluntly, “If you sit there with someone who says Adolf Hitler was very, very cool and that their mission is to combat and defeat global Jewry, and you say nothing, then you’re a coward and you are complicit in that evil.”
Other prominent Republicans joined the chorus of criticism. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell quoted Roberts’ video on social media, asserting that conservatives should not be expected “to carry water for antisemites and apologists for America-hating autocrats.” John Podhoretz, a well-known conservative commentator, also sharply rebuked Roberts on social media, accusing him of dishonoring his late mother, who was a Heritage Foundation board member for decades. Podhoretz later deleted his post amid the backlash.
Nevertheless, some influential conservatives rallied to Roberts’ defense. Eric Teetsel, CEO of the Center for Renewing America — a conservative think tank associated with the administration of Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget — praised Roberts’ statement as “excellent” and expressed pride in standing with him and the Heritage Foundation. Bret Weinstein, a prominent podcaster, echoed this sentiment by arguing that efforts to police thought, speech, and association are “anti-American” and only deepen divisions within the country.
In response to mounting criticism, Roberts clarified his position on Friday, condemning Fuentes’ antisemitism as “explicit, dangerous, and demands our unified opposition as conservatives.” Still, Roberts emphasized that his role was not to cancel voices but to “guide, challenge, and strengthen the conversation.” Around the same time, reports emerged of internal turmoil within the Heritage Foundation. National Review revealed that Roberts had reassigned his chief of staff, Ryan Neuhaus, and the New York Post later reported Neuhaus’ resignation following the controversy. Neuhaus did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Despite Roberts’ disavowal of Fuentes’ hateful ideology, criticism within conservative circles continued unabated. At the Republican Jewish Coalition conference, U.S. Representative Randy Fine of Florida accused Carlson of hosting “the most dangerous antisemite in America” and compared Fuentes to the leader of a “modern-day Hitler Youth.” Fine and others in the audience displayed signs declaring “Tucker is not MAGA,” signaling a clear fracture within the movement.
The debate spilled into conservative media on Monday when Ben Shapiro, a prominent right-wing podcaster, dedicated an entire episode of his show to what he called the “fragmentation of the political right.” Sh