Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts admitted on Monday that he had made a mistake on the issue of antisemitism, following a statement in support of journalist Tucker Carlson's interview with Christian white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Last Monday's interview of Fuentes by Carlson expanded a schism in the right about the mainstreaming of antisemitism, opposition to Christian Zionism and Israel, and isolationism.
Roberts wavered on his Thursday position, in which he said that he would refuse to distance Heritage from Carlson, saying at a Monday night Hillsdale College speech that he had made a "mistake."
"Sometimes you can make a mistake with the best of intentions," said Roberts. "My mistake was not saying that we're not going to participate in cancel culture -- we're not-- My mistake was letting that, which we will never backtrack from, override the central motivation that I had in doing that."
Antisemitism on the left and on "far fringes of the right" worried Roberts, who explained that his original statement was motivated by a desire to stand as a bulwark against the culture of deplatforming that had targeted conservatives. Roberts warned that millions of "disaffected" young American men had flirted with antisemitism by following the "wrong people."
"The Heritage Foundation, which has not only always stood against antisemitism -- And I, if you know anything about my career, have done the same -- will never ever, ever stop fighting against antisemitism in all its forms."
Roberts had stated on Thursday that Carlson was being attacked by a "venomous coalition" attempting to sow division, and that Carlson would remain a close friend of Heritage. The Heritage president said that he disagreed with Fuentes, but believed that debate was the answer to his ideas, not cancellation.
Roberts clarified in an X post the next day that he abhorred Fuentes's positions, such as Holocaust denial, and his "musings about rape, women, child marriage, and abusing his potential wife."
"Nick Fuentes's antisemitism is not complicated, ironic, or misunderstood," said Roberts. "It is explicit, dangerous, and demands our unified opposition as conservatives. Fuentes knows exactly what he is doing. He is fomenting Jew hatred, and his incitements are not only immoral and un-Christian, they risk violence."
The controversy about the role of Carlson, Fuentes, and their supporters in the conservative movement has seen right-wing pundits debate about platforming radicals and the problem of movement infighting.
National Jewish Advocacy Center CEO Mark Goldfeder resigned from Heritage's National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism over the statement.
“Elevating him and then attacking those who object as somehow un-American or disloyal in a video replete with antisemitic tropes and dog whistles, no less, is not the protection of free speech. It is a moral collapse disguised as courage,” wrote Goldfeder. “It is especially painful that Heritage, an institution with a historic role in shaping conservative policy, would choose this moment to blur the line between worthwhile debate and the normalization of hate.”
Young America's Foundation announced in a social media statement on Monday that it would "not give a platform to those who believe some people are less than equal due to their race or sex — nor do we give a platform to those who seek to propagate vile antisemitism or holocaust denial." The statement didn't explicitly reference Fuentes or Carlson, but referenced beliefs expressed by the former.
Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro issued a rebuke of Carlson, Fuentes, and the latter's "Groyper" movement in his Monday podcast, calling their ideas anti-American.
"No to the groypers," said Shapiro. "No to cowards like Tucker Carlson, who normalize their trash. No to those who champion them."
Conservative pundit Allie Beth Stuckey called for a medium position to be found between no conflict with fellow right-wingers or overly sensitive infighting. She said she would not be public about disagreements and engage privately.
"Faithfulness to the Word of God matters most, but loyalty to friends and allies matters, too," Stuckey wrote on social media on Saturday. "Draw lines and define terms, yes, but your integrity is not proven by how much you publicly disagree with every person who says something that you’re offended by."
Carlson had discussed Jewish people and Israel with Fuentes, who said that "Zionist Jews" in the Conservative movement had to be stopped. Carlson said that he hated Christian Zionists and accused Israel of viewing everyone in Gaza as a terrorist.
Zvika Klein contributed to this report.