Vance denies that antisemitism is 'exploding' on the right

Vice President JD Vance stated that he does not observe a growing antisemitic sentiment among young conservatives, despite concerns from some Republicans about extremist views gaining prominence within the party. In an interview with NBC, Vance commented, I think its kind of slanderous to say that the Republican Party, the conservative movement, is extremely antisemitic.

The discussion around antisemitism in conservative circles intensified following an interview by media personality Tucker Carlson with Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist figure known for his influence on the fringes of the Make America Great Again movement. Fuentes has previously promoted racist and extremist ideas online, including claiming that non-Christians such as Jews do not belong in Western civilization. During the interview, Carlson did not challenge Fuentes on these statements, nor did he respond when Fuentes suggested that Jews are not loyal Americans.

Fuentes also asserted that the main obstacle to national unity is the presence of organized Jewry in America. The interview drew criticism from Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who condemned Carlson for remaining silent in the face of such claims.

This controversy coincided with several other incidents linking Republican officials to Nazi imagery or extremist ideologies. Examples included young GOP members making offensive jokes about gas chambers, a Trump administration nominee withdrawing after remarks about having a "Nazi streak," a swastika appearing on a U.S. flag in a congressmans office, and a neo-Nazi online influencer married to a local Republican official in Michigan.

Amid these developments, the Heritage Foundation also faced turmoil after its president initially defended Carlson and criticized detractors, prompting resignations from members of its antisemitism task force and some senior scholars.

Vance emphasized that judging individuals based on race or immutable traits is contrary to American and Christian values. However, he maintained that antisemitism is not a significant issue on the right. He stated, Do I think that the Republican Party is substantially more antisemitic than it was 10 or 15 years ago? Absolutely not. In any bunch of apples, you have bad people.

Author: Olivia Parker