An internal firestorm at the Heritage Foundation over its president’s defense of Tucker Carlson after an interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes has exposed deeper rifts on the right over Israel. While staff and some donors recoiled, new polling shows younger conservatives growing more skeptical of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
What happened
On Oct. 27, Tucker Carlson hosted Nick Fuentes — a white nationalist and Holocaust denier — for a lengthy interview in which both men criticized U.S. support for Israel. Carlson agreed that the U.S. “gets nothing” from the relationship and derided Christian Zionism, according to multiple outlets that reviewed the exchange. (jta.org)
Three days later, on Oct. 30, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts released a video calling Carlson “a close friend,” attacking a “venomous coalition” and “the globalist class,” and adding that conservatives should feel no obligation to reflexively back any foreign government. The remarks, posted on X, triggered immediate backlash. (realclearpolitics.com)
Inside Heritage
The video set off a week of resignations and condemnations at Heritage. In a contentious all-staff meeting on Nov. 5, Roberts apologized — “I made a mistake and I let you down” — while insisting he would remain friends with Carlson. The Washington Post and the Washington Free Beacon obtained and reviewed video of the meeting. (washingtonpost.com)
Roberts reassigned his chief of staff, Ryan Neuhaus, over the video’s script; Neuhaus soon departed the organization. Roberts later said the script language came from staff and called his use of “venomous coalition” a “terrible choice of words,” according to reporting and his public statements. (washingtonpost.com)
Donor pressure added to the turmoil. The Nation reported that powerful contributors threatened to pull funding after Roberts’ video; Roberts has also faced calls to retract his praise for Carlson from pro-Israel groups. (The donor-threat claim is from The Nation’s report.) (thenation.com)
The internal meeting, described by some on social media as a “struggle session,” exposed ideological and religious divides. One young staffer, in remarks captured on video clips cited by The Nation, condemned Fuentes but called Christian Zionism a “modern heresy,” reflecting dissent among some Catholic and Orthodox conservatives. (thenation.com)
The broader shift on the right
Public opinion data point to a generational turn. Pew Research Center found Republicans under 50 are now about as likely to view Israel negatively as positively (50% unfavorable vs. 48% favorable) — up from 35% unfavorable in 2022. (pewresearch.org)
Among evangelicals aged 18–34, only about a third sympathize more with Israel than with the Palestinians, according to University of Maryland’s Critical Issues Poll as cited by NPR member stations. (UMD figure via NPR affiliates.) (wunc.org)
Support remains strong among white evangelical Protestants overall; roughly seven-in-ten express a favorable view of Israel, Pew reports. But younger conservatives’ views have shifted markedly in recent years. (pewresearch.org)
Influencers and movement politics
- Prominent right-wing voices have amplified skepticism. Candace Owens has repeatedly criticized Israel and U.S. aid, a stance that contributed to her high-profile split with Ben Shapiro. Steve Bannon has argued Israel is “not an ally” and warned that deeper U.S. involvement in Gaza would alienate the MAGA base. (timesofisrael.com)
Why it matters
- The Heritage episode illustrates how debates over Israel — once a point of conservative consensus — are increasingly filtered through populist “America First” arguments, interfaith theological disputes and war-weariness. Whether this shift migrates from influencers and think tanks to elected Republicans could shape future policy on military aid and the alliance with Israel. (washingtonpost.com)
