Republican conservatives are facing a looming crisis: the evil of antisemitism has begun to infiltrate their ranks. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently sounded the alarm, saying the problem has reached unprecedented levels.
“In the last six months, I’ve seen more antisemitism on the right than I have in my entire life,” Cruz said. “This is a poison, and I believe we are facing an existential crisis in our party and in our country.”
The issue is no longer confined to controversial figures like podcaster Candace Owens, who has been criticized for promoting anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. This week, the spotlight has turned to Nick Fuentes, a far-right activist who has suggested that “perfidious Jews” should be executed.
Fuentes’s social media videos reach millions—especially young men who identify with the “America First” movement. Recently, popular commentator Tucker Carlson gave Fuentes a major platform on his show but instead of challenging Fuentes over his record of Holocaust denial and praise for Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Carlson offered virtually no pushback.
A “Tucker is not MAGA” sign waved by college students at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference in protest of Tucker Carlson’s interview of antisemitic podcaster Nick Fuentes, Nov. 1, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Thomas Beaumont)
Josh Hammer, author of Israel and Civilization, warns that Carlson’s actions are dangerous, particularly in an era when public institutions are losing trust.
“I think American people have lost the ability in many ways to distinguish right from wrong, fact from fiction,” Hammer said. “And putting on my historian’s cap, thinking back over the past few thousand years of Western civilization, there has historically been one people who are most disproportionately harmed when a society loses that ability: the Jewish people.”
Hammer and other conservatives say they have watched with dismay as Carlson increasingly fixates on Jewish topics. “It is an actual deep, profound obsession—and a very unhealthy obsession at that,” Hammer added.
Carlson’s guest lineup has included Holocaust deniers and critics who accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. One guest even suggested that Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, was involved with Jeffrey Epstein.
During his interview with Fuentes, Carlson also insulted millions of evangelicals by calling Christian Zionist support for Israel a “brain virus.” “I dislike them more than anybody,” Carlson said. “Because it’s Christian heresy. And I’m offended by that as a Christian.”
Although Carlson has since apologized, many say the damage remains.
Liz Harrington, a former spokeswoman for President Donald Trump, sharply criticized both Carlson and Fuentes. “When I listen to that Nick Fuentes interview, I hear two people that really don’t seem very familiar with the Bible,” Harrington said.
She added, “Israel will always be attacked. It will always be a dividing line because it’s central to God’s plan for salvation for everyone. And you know who can’t stand that? The devil.”
The controversy deepened when Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts defended Carlson’s interview with Fuentes. “The venomous coalition attacking him are sowing division,” Roberts said. “Their attempt to cancel him will fail.”
Roberts later issued an apology, but the episode has caused turmoil within the conservative think tank and anger among staffers.
Hammer warns that if this strain of antisemitism is not addressed, it could spell political disaster for the GOP. “That would be the death knell for the Republican Party as a politically salient vehicle in America,” he said.
He believes the current situation calls for leadership. “The moment really does call for the leading men of the moment—folks like President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, or whoever else has the gravitas and credibility to do so—to rise to the challenge and do the right thing.”
Until that happens, you can expect tough sledding ahead for a GOP trying to navigate a rocky road and maintain political power amid the growing controversy on its far-right flank.
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