Former President Donald Trump has sparked fresh controversy by defending Tucker Carlson's decision to interview the white nationalist podcaster Nick Fuentes, prompting a public 'thank you' from the notorious antisemite and exposing significant fault lines within the Republican party.
Trump's Defence and Fuentes' Gratitude
The political firestorm ignited over the weekend when Donald Trump was questioned by reporters about Tucker Carlson's chummy sit-down with Nick Fuentes, a figure known for his Holocaust denial and unabashed racism. Trump came to the defence of the former Fox News host, stating that Carlson had "said good things about me over the years".
He suggested that "people have to decide" if it was appropriate for Carlson to provide a platform to Fuentes. "You can't tell him who to interview," Trump asserted. "If he wants to interview Nick Fuentes, I don't know much about him, but if he wants to do it, get the word out."
In response, Nick Fuentes took to the social media platform X, sharing a video of Trump's comments and writing with apparent sincerity: "Thank you Mr. President!" This public exchange has roiled the Make America Great Again movement, highlighting a growing division between the Trump-era GOP mainstream and a more aggressive, younger faction that shows a disturbing openness to Fuentes' brand of white nationalism.
Internal GOP Fallout and Heritage Foundation Turmoil
The fallout from the Carlson-Fuentes interview has threatened to fracture some of the most powerful institutions in conservative politics. One organisation feeling the heat is the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank.
The group's president, Kevin Roberts, is now facing calls for his removal after he posted a video to social media defending Carlson's decision to platform the openly racist Fuentes. This internal uproar underscores the deep ideological schisms the incident has provoked within the Republican establishment.
A Troubling History Repeats
Trump's latest refusal to condemn Fuentes or criticise Carlson comes three years after a similar scandal. In November 2022, while out of office, Trump hosted Fuentes and the antisemitic rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club.
That meeting drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, including from Trump's own Vice President, Mike Pence, who stated it was wrong for his former boss "to give a white nationalist, an antisemite and Holocaust denier, a seat at the table."
At the time, and again on Sunday, Trump denied any prior familiarity with Fuentes, claiming he "knew nothing about him" and had not been aware he would be accompanying Ye to Mar-a-Lago. This latest defence of Carlson's interview, however, suggests a continued willingness to engage with the fringes of the political right, leaving the party to grapple with the consequences.
