Fierce voices in the MAGA movement are openly declaring the Republican Party is in the middle of a messy divorce with Israel.
The rupture, which has been boiling for months, hit a tipping point last week when Tucker Carlson interviewed Nick Fuentes, a 27-year-old far-right commentator known for spewing anti-Semitic views.
The interview garnered over 20 million views online, igniting a vicious debate among conservatives over the platforming of problematic figures, like Fuentes, and their wildly offensive rhetoric.
Late last week, rumors circulated that the Heritage Foundation, the most prominent conservative policy organization in Washington, was distancing itself from Carlson, prompting its president to join the fray.
Heritage President Kevin Roberts dispelled the notion of a split with Carlson by releasing a stirring video address backing the former Fox News host, referring to pro-Israel Republicans as a ‘venomous coalition’ that is ‘sowing division.’
‘The think tank that is most closely identified with the Reagan Revolution heritage, which is revered in the conservative movement right, has come out and supported Tucker Carlson,’ Steve Bannon told the Daily Mail in an interview Friday. ‘The most powerful voice came back, and said, call them a venomous coalition, and Tucker will always have a platform at Heritage. That’s f*****g huge!’
On the other side the the ledger, Emily Austin, a prominent pro-Israel conservative with a massive social media following, said she cut ties with the conservative behemoth.
‘I happen to think Heritage was great prior to this morning, and now I will never engage with them ever again,’ Austin told the Daily Mail.
Former Fox News host and political commentator Tucker Carlson (right) hosted Nick Fuentes (left) on his popular podcast last week
Bannon (pictured) stressed to the Daily Mail how the conservative movement is at an inflection point regarding its relationship with Israel. He defended Carlson’s choice to host Nick Fuentes
President Trump’s office refused the Daily Mail’s request for comment on Fuentes being embraced by some conservative figures. Trump dined with Fuentes in 2022 before facing ridicule. Trump claimed he did not know who the anti-Semitic pundit was
The bond between the conservative and the pro-Israel movements has been established for decades. Bannon says now that relationship is on the brink of collapse, which, if true, could have widespread ramifications for fundraising, party building and get-out-the-vote efforts.
Bannon believes it’s all worth it to bend the party away from Israel.
‘If you even brought up this topic, you were vilified,’ Bannon said of Fuentes’ platforming. He asserted that since Fuentes destroyed Dinesh D’Souza – another well-known conservative commentator – in a debate over Israel, ‘the Israel First crowd is apoplectic because their ultimate power of de-platforming and shaming is shattered – forever.’
With revenue exceeding $100 million annually, The Heritage Foundation is one of the most powerful conservative think tanks operating in the country.
Bannon, a close confidant of President Trump, told the Daily Mail that many of the top staffers at Heritage now run White House. The implication: Robertson wouldn’t have gone so far in his declaration if he felt it would be out of sync with 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
‘There are many people from these think tanks, particularly from Heritage that now staff the administration. Robertson’s voice is very powerful. It’s very powerful,’ Bannon said.
The Heritage president clarified after his endorsement of Carlson that he ‘abhorred views expressed by Nick Fuentes’ and that ‘there is plenty to condemn’ the 27-year-old over.
Though when given the opportunity to comment on Fuentes being pulled into the right’s mainstream, the offices of Trump and Vice President JD Vance both refused.
After Fuentes insulted his wife, Usha, Vance condemned the provocateur in 2024, saying, the controversial host was a ‘loser.’
‘Of course it doesn’t have a place in the MAGA movement,’ Vance told CBS News last year when pressed on Fuentes’ attacks on Usha.
Vice President JD Vance’s office refused the Daily Mail’s request for comment on Fuentes, but last year the VP called the 27-year-old a ‘loser’ that should be disavowed by the MAGA movement
Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, defended Carlson’s hosting of Fuentes and slammed a ‘venomous coalition’ of unnamed conservatives for attacking the political pundit
The Heritage Foundation’s headquarters is a massive complex just blocks from the US Capitol
During the interview with Fuentes, Carlson targeted pro-Israel conservative figures, such as Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz for being ‘Christian Zionists,’ adding, ‘I dislike them more than anybody…because it’s Christian heresy.’
Roberts refused to condemn Carlson, and instead claimed Christians can call out Israel without being anti-Semitic.
‘Christians can critique the State of Israel without being anti-Semitic, and of course, anti-Semitism should be condemned,’ Roberts said. ‘My loyalty as a Christian and as an American is to Christ first and to America always.’
Roberts directly addressed Fuentes by noting that he should not be canceled by conservatives.
‘When we disagree with a person’s thoughts and opinions, we challenge those ideas in debate, and we have seen success in this approach as we continue to dismantle the vile ideas of the left,’ Roberts said.
Roberts’ commentary has stirred acrimony within his organization.
‘Nick Fuentes is a disgusting, anti-American, antisemitic loser. He is not a conservative, not America First, and not an ally of President Trump or any conservative organization,’ a Heritage staffer told the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity.
‘In his own words, Nick Fuentes is an ally of Stalin, Hitler and the Taliban. That is not someone with ideas worthy of debate. Conservatives should pray he gets the help he needs, not give him even an inch of space in our movement.’
One senior GOP Senate staffer expressed concern over the right’s half-embrace of Fuentes, noting how he’s ‘a terrible person,’ and that lawmakers are starting to feel pressure over how closely they should back Israel.
‘Look at the right among members publicly. Fissures are starting,’ the staffer said.
Pro-Israel conservative influencer Austin said she will ‘never engage’ with The Heritage Foundation again after it voiced support for Tucker Carlson this week
Bannon also claimed that the pro-Israel wing of conservatives, including figures like Mark Levin, will continue attacking Carlson by accusing him of taking money from wealthy Gulf nations — but he insists their argument won’t be effective.
‘Tel Aviv Levin and this crowd went absolutely nuts when Tucker talked to Fuentes,’ Bannon added. ‘They hate Tucker. They say he’s taking money from Qatar to smear all the time.’
Recently, accusations over which Republican figures are funded by foreign states, namely Israel and Qatar, have been commonplace in dialogue on the right.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Carlson are just some of those who have been alleged to receive support from Qatar. On the other side of the GOP spectrum, Cruz and Huckabee have also been hit with allegations of Israeli support.
‘I think Tucker is funded by Qatar, and I feel like Nick Fuentes just genuinely, to his core, hates Jews and blames everything on Jews,’ Austin added. ‘Tucker lately is not even acting like he’s pro-America anymore.’
While Senator Ted Cruz has been noticeably outspoken about the ‘garbage’ anti-Semitism spewing out of his party, other GOP lawmakers are keeping quiet.
Representatives for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment on Fuentes.
Democrats have identified the intra-GOP rupture as an opportunity.
‘I’m not at all surprised to see Tucker Carlson and other MAGA figures embracing Nick Fuentes — a proud white supremacist who’s gaining serious clout, especially now that Charlie Kirk is dead,’ Democratic strategist Mike Nellis told the Daily Mail.
‘We’re going to see Fuentes welcomed by Trump, JD Vance and other Republican leaders — just like we’ve seen with every other extremist in the MAGA movement.’
