Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) has slammed Tucker Carlson over his recent interview with the popular, yet controversial, commentator Nick Fuentes.
Cruz called the interview cowardly and accused Carlson of being complicit in evil by not challenging Fuentes’ views.
“If you sit there with someone who says Adolf Hitler was very very cool and that their mission is to combat and defeat ‘global Jewry,’ and you say nothing, then you are a coward, and you are complicit in that evil,” Cruz said.
He made the remarks on Thursday at the Republican Jewish Coalition Leadership Summit in Las Vegas.
Carlson has faced growing backlash from conservatives over the sit-down, which lasted more than two hours.
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts defended Carlson despite the controversy, calling him a “close friend” and denouncing critics as a “venomous coalition.”
Roberts posted a video on X, saying canceling Carlson would fail and urging debate instead of silencing.
During the interview, Fuentes claimed the “big challenge” to unifying the country was “organized Jewry.”
Carlson also criticized Christian Zionism and claimed some GOP supporters of Israel suffer from a “brain virus.”
He specifically named Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and former President George W. Bush.
The comments sparked a fierce debate in the MAGA world, according to The Daily Beast.
Some conservatives argue the interview exposed a rift over GOP support for Israel.
Breitbart’s Joel Pollack criticized Carlson, saying he nodded along and “accepts the premise that Jews put their own and Israel’s interests ahead of America. This is the foundation of Nazism.”
Both Cruz and Huckabee publicly denounced Carlson, while Roberts went in the opposite direction, urging discussion over cancellation.
“I disagree with and even abhor things Nick Fuentes says, but canceling him is not the answer either,” Roberts said.
Cruz called Carlson’s inaction complicit and claimed that the party is facing a growing antisemitism problem.
“Now is the time for choosing, now is the time for courage,” Cruz said.
He added, “I’ve seen more antisemitism on the right than I have in my entire life. This is a poison, and I believe we are facing an existential crisis in our party and in our country.”
The feud highlights rising tensions within the GOP over ideology and party loyalty ahead of upcoming elections.
Carlson has yet to respond directly to Cruz’s latest criticism, but the newest episode shows a break in the MAGA ranks over Israel.
Supporters of Carlson argue that his interviews reveal uncomfortable truths and challenge groupthink, while critics warn that failing to call out such views hurts the party’s reputation.
