The Feud Between Ben Shapiro and Nick Fuentes Enters Mainstream GOP Politics
Even the Heritage Foundation has become involved in this highly online dispute. After Tucker Carlson gave a platform to a virulently antisemitic livestreamer, the Heritage Foundation also got drawn into the controversy among right-wing factions.
Typically, the long-running feud between white supremacist streamer Nick Fuentes and Jewish conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro — who deeply dislike each other — would have stayed confined to the internet. However, last week it escalated when Fuentes, known for openly antisemitic statements like “Hitler was really fucking cool,” gained a new level of legitimacy within the right-wing sphere.
Tucker Carlson, the Fox News host turned podcaster, invited Fuentes for an hour-long interview discussing the US government’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Despite Carlson’s history of criticizing Israel and sometimes using antisemitic tropes, this event reached a broad audience and wielded considerable influence within the GOP.
“Hitler was really fucking cool.” — Nick Fuentes
However, other conspiracy theories Carlson promoted in the past—such as Ukraine developing bioweapons, COVID-19 being bioengineered to leave Ashkenazi Jews immune, or male infertility being treatable by infrared light therapy—never caught on politically.
Platforming a notoriously antisemitic conspiracy theorist like Fuentes marked a striking development in right-wing media influence.
Author's Summary
This feud, once restricted to the online fringe, now shapes mainstream GOP discourse as far-right figures gain significant platforms and political legitimacy.