The Feud Between Ben Shapiro and Nick Fuentes Enters Mainstream GOP Politics
The Heritage Foundation has recently become involved in a highly visible conflict that was once confined to online spaces. The ongoing feud between Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist streamer, and Ben Shapiro, a Jewish conservative podcaster, has escalated beyond their usual internet battleground.
Nick Fuentes, known for his antisemitic views and statements such as “Hitler was really fucking cool,” has gained unexpected mainstream attention on the right. This shift occurred when Tucker Carlson, former Fox News host and now podcaster, invited Fuentes for an hourlong interview discussing the U.S. government’s support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.
Carlson, who has a large GOP following and a history of criticizing Israel and using antisemitic undertones, gave Fuentes a significant platform. Despite Carlson previously promoting other conspiracy theories—such as Ukraine developing bioweapons, COVID-19 being bioengineered to spare Ashkenazi Jews, and infrared light treatment reversing male infertility—these ideas never gained political momentum. However, giving airtime to an openly antisemitic conspiracy theorist like Fuentes marks a different level of influence within right-wing politics.
"Hitler was really fucking cool." — Nick Fuentes
Tucker Carlson invited Fuentes for an hourlong interview about the US government’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza.
This development signals a troubling shift where extremist rhetoric is gaining legitimacy in mainstream political discourse.
Author’s summary: The feud between Fuentes and Shapiro has moved from online clashes to mainstream GOP media, highlighting the rising acceptance of extremist views within right-wing politics.