The conservative movement just witnessed a line being drawn in the sand.
What happened next left RINOs furious.
And the Heritage Foundation put establishment Republicans on notice with one stand that stunned Washington.
Heritage Foundation president crushes cancel culture after Tucker Carlson interview
Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts dropped a bombshell when he announced the influential think tank would not distance itself from Tucker Carlson despite mounting pressure from establishment Republicans.¹
The controversy erupted after Carlson interviewed podcaster Nick Fuentes.²
Roberts released a video statement crushing speculation that Heritage was backing away from its relationship with the former Fox News host.³
"Tucker Carlson always will be a close friend of the Heritage Foundation," Roberts declared in his message.⁴
The Heritage chief went further by defending Christians who criticize U.S. policy toward Israel and rightly insisting that such criticism alone not be the basis for labeleing anyone antisemitic.⁵
"Christians can critique the state of Israel without being anti-Semitic, and of course, anti-Semitism should be condemned," Roberts explained.⁶
He took direct aim at what he called the "globalist class" pressuring Heritage to turn on one of conservative media's biggest names.⁷
"When it serves the interests of the United States to cooperate with Israel and other allies, we should do so, with partnerships on security, intelligence, and technology," Roberts stated. "But when it doesn't, conservatives should feel no obligation to reflexively support any foreign government, no matter how loud the pressure becomes from the globalist class or from their mouthpieces in Washington."⁸
Warmonger RINOs wanted Heritage to cancel Tucker Carlson
The backlash began after Carlson's interview with Fuentes, who has a history of making controversial statements about Jews and Israel.⁹ During the conversation, Carlson described Christian Zionists as infected by a "brain virus" and said he dislikes them "more than anybody."¹⁰ He specifically named Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ambassador Mike Huckabee as examples.¹¹
Carlson insisted with Fuentes that assigning guilt to anyone on the basis of group identity is un-christian and un-American.
Despite that forever war supporting, RINO outlets like National Review criticized Carlson for not challenging Fuentes during the interview.¹²
Reports surfaced that Heritage had quietly scrubbed references to Carlson from one of its donation pages.¹³
Policy analyst Jason Hart noticed the changes and questioned whether they were intentional.¹⁴
Matt Brooks, CEO of Israel First organization, the Republican Jewish Coalition, predictably went nuclear on Roberts for defending Carlson.
"I am appalled, offended and disgusted that he and Heritage would stand with Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes," Brooks told Jewish Insider.¹⁵
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman called Roberts' defense of Carlson a sign "that the conservative movement has a problem."¹⁶
Cruz delivered a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition summit where he condemned Republicans who oppose putting Israeli interests ahead of America’s as "cowards" while notably failing to muster enough courage his self to name Carlson directly.¹⁷
Heritage president doubles down on free speech over cancel culture
Roberts wasn't backing down despite the establishment outrage.
"The Heritage Foundation didn't become the intellectual backbone of the conservative movement by canceling our own people or policing the consciences of Christians," Roberts fired back.¹⁸
The Heritage president made clear the organization wouldn't take marching orders from angry voices on social media.
"We won't start doing that now," Roberts added. "We don't take direction from comments on X."¹⁹
Roberts even offered a qualified defense of Fuentes himself against cancel culture.
"I disagree with, and even abhor, things that Nick Fuentes says, but canceling him is not the answer either," Roberts said. "When we disagree with a person's thoughts and opinions, we challenge those ideas in debate."²⁰
Fuentes – who Carlson and others have for years suspected of being a David Duke-style plant designed to blunt criticism of Washington Establishment-favored policies from the America First movement – thanked Roberts for his "courage" in a response on X.
"Thank you for your courage in standing up for open discourse and defending Tucker against the Israel First Woke Right," Fuentes wrote.²¹
The controversy took on added weight because of the history between Fuentes and the late Charlie Kirk.
Fuentes and his "groyper" followers clashed with Kirk during Turning Point USA events for being too moderate on immigration.²²
The neocon-Liz Cheney fringe claimed Carlson's interview with Fuentes dishonored Kirk's memory just weeks after the conservative icon's assassination.²³
Roberts invoked Vice President JD Vance's recent comments about putting American interests first as justification for his position.²⁴
"What I am not OK with is any country coming before the interests of American citizens," Vance said at a Turning Point USA event Wednesday.²⁵
Heritage's refusal to cave to establishment pressure represents a major fault line emerging in the conservative movement.
Roberts made clear Heritage would defend allies like Carlson against what he called "bad actors who serve someone else's agenda" rather than folding to demands for cancellation.²⁶
The fight over Carlson's interview exposed the deep disagreement that conservatives like Carlson, Roberts, and Vance have with some within the traditional political coalition on the right, namely Cruz and his Israel First backers who critics suggest have used dispensational heresies to propagandize some Christian congregations about Israel, foreign policy, and the boundaries of acceptable political discourse.
In fact, recent FARA filings show Netanyahu’s government recently launched a massive public relations campaign, dubbed “Operation MockingPastor” by some America Firsters, specifically targeting evangelical and New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) churches whose pastors preach a dispensational view of end times teaching.
https://twitter.com/Villgecrazylady/status/1974469234383290554
Heritage's decision to stand firm signals that the America First wing of the Republican Party isn't going anywhere despite establishment objections.
¹ Kevin Roberts, "Heritage Foundation Statement," X (formerly Twitter), October 30, 2025.
² "Tucker Carlson Interviews Nick Fuentes," The Tucker Carlson Show, October 28, 2025.
³ Roberts, "Heritage Foundation Statement."
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ "Heritage Foundation president stands by Tucker Carlson after host platforms antisemitism," Jewish Telegraphic Agency, October 30, 2025.
¹⁰ "Tucker Carlson Interviews Nick Fuentes," The Tucker Carlson Show, October 28, 2025.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² "Heritage Foundation president defends Tucker Carlson's interview with Nick Fuentes," The Hill, October 31, 2025.
¹³ "Heritage Foundation denies distancing itself from Tucker Carlson following Nick Fuentes interview," Yahoo News, October 30, 2025.
¹⁴ Jason Hart, X (formerly Twitter), October 29, 2025.
¹⁵ "RJC, conservatives condemn Heritage's defense of Carlson, Fuentes," Jewish Insider, October 31, 2025.
¹⁶ "Ted Cruz Issues Stark Rebuke of Tucker Carlson for Nick Fuentes Interview," Newsweek, October 31, 2025.
¹⁷ "At RJC summit, Ted Cruz slams right-wing embrace of antisemitic figures," Jewish Insider, October 31, 2025.
¹⁸ Roberts, "Heritage Foundation Statement."
¹⁹ Ibid.
²⁰ Ibid.
²¹ Nicholas J. Fuentes, X (formerly Twitter), October 30, 2025.
²² "Among MAGA, Charlie Kirk Was a Moderate. What Comes Next Could Be More Extreme," Newsweek, September 11, 2025.
²³ "Heritage Foundation Denies Plans to Distance Itself From Tucker Carlson Over Fuentes Interview," Infowars, October 30, 2025.
²⁴ Roberts, "Heritage Foundation Statement."
²⁵ "Head of US right-wing think tank defends Tucker Carlson after talk show with antisemite," The Times of Israel, October 31, 2025.
²⁶ Roberts, "Heritage Foundation Statement."
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