Why are so many in a conservative movement that looked to a passionate Christian Zionist like the late Charlie Kirk for leadership now willing to turn a blind eye to or even rationalize the antisemitism of Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes? That is the question that JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin has been pondering in recent months in the wake of Carlson hosting Fuentes on his podcast and the Heritage Foundation’s perplexing loyalty to the former Fox News host.

He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Newsweek senior editor-at-large and podcaster Josh Hammer who was personally acquainted with Kirk and other leader conservative figures. He says it’s outrageous that Kirk is being portrayed by some on the right as a foe of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he was, in fact, merely critical of some tactical decisions made by Jerusalem, not its war goals or of Zionism. Moreover, he was a fervent opponent of antisemitism and a friend of the Jewish people.

Hammer is similarly troubled by the way the Heritage Foundation, the leading conservative think tank and its president Kevin Roberts have refused to disavow Carlson, whom he labeled as “the most dangerous antisemite in American history.” He says Carlson deserves that distinction because of his mainstream appeal and strong connections to Republican leaders. He believes Carlson’s Jew-hatred is made obvious by the fact that antipathy for Israel and even Judaism has become the organizing principle of his advocacy. His goal is not so much to break up the U.S.-Israel alliance but to write Judaism out of Western civilization and, as a result, destroy President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement and replace it with something that is openly anti-Israel and antisemitic.

At the heart of the problem with conservative neutrality about Carlson and other even more extreme antisemites is their abhorrence for “gatekeeping” and the left’s tactics of canceling people they disagree with. But Hammer argues that there’s nothing wrong with maintaining boundaries between mainstream opinion and extremists and hatemongers.

Hammer believes that at some point, Vice President JD Vance, who is a close friend of Carlson and whose presidential ambitions for 2028 are no secret, is going to have to make a firm statement about his opposition to antisemitism and distinguish himself from the anti-Israel faction on the far right.

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