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Senator Tom Cotton Draws a Line Between True Conservatives and Antisemitic Influencers

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  March 10, 2026 5:30 PM

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas blasted so-called conservative influencers who have begun dabbling in antisemitism in recent months during National Review’s Symposium on Antisemitism on Tuesday, seeking to draw a clear line between them and the broader conservative movement. 

The rebuke reflects a long-overdue effort by conservative leaders who may have succeeded in pushing for tighter borders but have struggled to prevent certain voices from continuing to claim and abuse the conservative label.

"I know many of you are also concerned, though, about a seeming rise of anti-Semitism among influencers on the erstwhile 'right.' Now, I use sarcastic air quotes for a reason," Sen. Cotton said. "First off, these influencers are perceived to be on the right, and maybe they once were, maybe they once wrote for center-right magazines, maybe they once worked for center-right websites or media companies, but I do not agree that I share a political movement or a political party with anyone who traffics in anti-Semitism."

Senator Cotton went on to argue that many of the influencers dabbling in antisemitism also abandon core conservative principles, including the defense of free enterprise. He noted that some even echo positions held by Senator Elizabeth Warren on economic policy, aligning themselves, in effect, with those pushing the country toward socialism.

"And, for that matter, doesn't just traffic in anti-Semitism, or at least adjacent to anti-Semitism, shares Liz Warren's economic policies or Rashida Tlaib's foreign policy," he continued. "Because, if you notice, these so-called influencers, like anti-Semites usually do, often have a deep antipathy to free market capitalism. Whatever their views once were, they have since adopted, indeed, Liz Warren's economic policies. We also, as I said, share Rashida Tlaib's foreign policy, which could be summed up, as Gene Kirkpatrick once said, 'Blame America first.' They always blame America first, if they're not blaming Israel first."

Texas Senator Ted Cruz didn't hold back either.

This comes as the influence of these so-called conservatives continues to take a toll on young conservatives. A recent study conducted by the Manhattan Institute found that more than half of Republican men engage in some form of Holocaust denial.

A separate study by the Jerusalem Center found that forty-five percent of Republicans under the age of forty-four view Jews as a threat to the American way of life.

Add in the growing criticism of capitalism, and a troubling pattern emerges: a significant wing of self-described conservatives now aligns more closely with progressives on foreign policy and economics. If left unchecked, that convergence risks fracturing the conservative coalition heading into 2028.

It is time for party leaders, along with political commentators, to forcefully call out this rot for what it is and take concrete steps to preserve the integrity of the conservative movement. That means confronting antisemitism, rejecting economic positions that align with socialism, and holding influencers accountable who undermine the core principles of the party.

Yes, it has begun with commentators like Ben Shapiro, and even the president has called out Tucker Carlson, but that does little to change the minds of young conservatives who have already been led down this path.

Without action, the future of the conservative movement could become increasingly uncertain, untethered from its foundational principles and vulnerable to co-optation by opportunistic or sinister political figures.