Many have wondered why top Republicans have been so quiet on the open Israel-bashing and Jew-hating expressed by figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens. The latter accused Israel of assassinating Charlie Kirk, whereas the real killer probably could not find Israel on a map. Carlson had a friendly dinner and later hosted Nick Fuentes, who describes himself as being on "Team Hitler." Many Jews and supporters of Israel have waited to see the president, vice president, RNC leaders, and Cabinet members come out strongly against antisemitism, even if it comes from people formerly associated with the political Right. And while Ted Cruz, Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin, and many on X have been adamant in their denunciations, the top cadre of the Republicans has not said much. The question is why?
Donald Trump did touch on the subject of Carlson and Fuentes and said that the former can interview whomever he so pleases, and people can come to their own conclusions. He seemed to move back from calling Carlson "kooky" and said that in the past, the pundit had said good things about him. JD Vance attacked a woman who had questions about Carlson's son, who holds a prominent position in the vice president's office. When Vance led a TPUSA event and a student accused Israel of genocide and of "their religion" attacking "our religion," Vance did not fight the charges but rather said that we'll work with Israel when it's in our national interest. Period. Nothing about the genocide charge being fraudulent or Israel respecting and protecting Christians throughout the Holy Land. The question again is why?
There are a couple of possibilities, but I believe only one solution. President Trump has always been a strong friend and supporter of Jews and Israel, dating well before he became directly involved in running for office. JD Vance is less known in Jewish circles, but there is nothing to suggest an antisemitic bent or anti-Israel posture. He and his wife appeared to enjoy their recent three-day state visit to Israel, where they were treated as super-VIPs, as is appropriate for the sitting vice president. I think that the simple explanation as to why the top level of Republican leadership has not actively condemned the likes of Owens and Carlson—and their guests—is simply politics. I would guess that the demographic with the highest percentage of support for Donald Trump would be orthodox Jews. But as they are a small percentage of overall Jews in America, Jewish support for Republicans is still around 40 percent. The group with the highest support for Donald Trump in the last election was young, white men. From 50-77 percent support, depending on age group, they broke for the president harder than any other definable sector. Sure, the president picked up points with all groups, including Blacks and Hispanics. But the ones who voted hard for Trump were young, white males.
And young, white men are the ones following Fuentes as "Groypers." They are the ones who watch Tucker Carlson when he brings on an anti-Israel guest. Trump, Vance, and others in the RNC condemning the hosts or their guests would alienate their most loyal supporters. Donald Trump gains very little by attacking Carlson for platforming Fuentes or Fuentes for being a Hitler-loving fool. At least right now, there is no benefit in condemning these people, and as such, the party leadership remains quiet. Sure, Jews would like to hear the president say out loud that he wants nothing to do with someone who has demanded the death or forced exit of American Jews. But were the president to make such a statement, he would gain no new voters and maybe lose a million young men who voted for him in 2024. Where is the upside?
We have seen in the past politicians making calculations as election day approached. Arnold Schwarzenneger, for years, brushed aside claims of improper behavior during his Hollywood career. Right before his election as governor of California, he issued a blanket apology for any "inappropriate behavior" during his movie star days. When accused of not being green enough, he converted his Hummer to natural gas. More recently, Andrew Cuomo apologized for all of the grannies he killed by putting COVID patients in their nursing homes. It was a subject that he ignored, and many grieving families were furious at him. His apology apparently was too little, too late, as he still lost the mayoral race in New York.
The risk of the top leadership not condemning the antisemitic behavior from elements of the Right is twofold. The first is the continued and enhanced hatred being platformed. "If nobody at the RNC was angry that I brought so-and-so on my show, now let me go for a Hamas terrorist next." The other risk, of course, is losing other parts of the coalition. Orthodox Jews will not join their less religious brethren in voting for pro-Hamas Democratic candidates, but if necessary, will simply stay home. Blacks and others whom Fuentes belittles and attacks can choose the same strategy if they feel that MAGA loves Fuentes. It's all political calculation and not social etiquette. If ignoring the "woke Right" loses you 2 million votes but gets you 3 million young men who will vote for you, then you just keep your mouth shut. If the result is the opposite, then you come out with guns blazing against the hate mongers on the Right. Such behavior makes perfect political sense, but it fails to take into account one thing: mainstreaming.
If you go back to TV from the 1970s, there were lots of things that you could not show or say. But once some actor or show did whatever it did, there was no putting the genie back in the bottle. Violence, foul language, etc., became mainstream, and our lives became coarser. When a guy like Fuentes says that he wants to kill all American Jews, is platformed by someone associated with the Right, and nobody at the top takes issue with this event, then the position becomes more acceptable. Sure, you might get more votes, but are you encouraging more hatred toward minorities by your silence?
Ben Shapiro put out a blistering 40-minute video attacking those on the woke Right, and at the time of this writing, it has 38 million views. He used clips of these people in their own voice expressing antisemitic, misogynistic, racist, and other awful opinions. It was a tour de force, and Shapiro is well-positioned to lead the fight against the woke Right and its poisonous anti-Israel and anti-Jewish messaging. Ben Shapiro is a hero for fighting the good fight, but he also does not have to worry about getting elected or his viewership abandoning him, as they are of one mind with him. We need people like Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin who will point out any antisemitic or anti-Israel attack that is not based on truth but rather hatred and lies wrapped up as "facts." I would not expect any top Republicans—beyond Ted Cruz—chiming in on the subject of woke Right pundits, their opinions, or their guests. There simply is no advantage at this time to get stuck in this quagmire. Sure, people would be reassured to hear JD Vance condemn the man who spoke in a derogatory manner about him and his wife. But don't count on such a comment until the week before election day, 2028. Politics is a game of numbers, and most politicians are shape-shifters in their views, always calibrating which opinions will get them more votes. Expect more of the same from Carlson and Owens; expect some type of pushback, maybe, in November of 2026 or 2028. I don't believe that Trump or Vance like Fuentes and his views, but their job is to win elections.