Carlson Hosts Fuentes; Heritage Defends, GOP Criticizes

Tucker Carlson hosted far‑right influencer Nick Fuentes on his livestream; Fuentes delivered antisemitic, Holocaust‑denying and white‑nationalist remarks (including praising Stalin and urging Americans to be “pro‑white”), which Carlson largely failed to challenge while attacking Christian Zionism. The interview circulated widely, amplifying troubling clips across social media and prompting immediate bipartisan alarm that platforming Fuentes risks normalizing antisemitism. Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts publicly defended Carlson and opposed deplatforming Fuentes, a stance that intensified dissent within conservative ranks. Prominent Republicans including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Ted Cruz publicly criticized Roberts and Carlson for giving Fuentes a platform. The episode exposed and deepened a rift in the Republican coalition over Israel, antisemitism, and which voices the movement will tolerate, drawing pushback even from conservative figures like Mike Huckabee.