The Right’s Nick Fuentes Problem — and Tucker Carlson’s Role in Mainstreaming It – The American Spectator

The Right’s Nick Fuentes Problem and Tucker Carlson’s Role

Ben Shapiro titled his latest podcast episode “Tucker Carlson Sabotages America,” a phrase that alone hints at a sharp critique. Shapiro calls Carlson a “super spreader of vile ideas … coward … terrible friend … and master of gaslighting.” In a bold move on Monday, Shapiro did what many on the Right avoid: he drew a clear moral boundary and identified the key figures involved.

Shapiro’s Warning About White Identitarianism

Shapiro argues that the American Right faces a deliberate division caused by a small but vocal group of white identitarians surrounding Nick Fuentes. This faction is gaining acceptance and entering mainstream discourse largely due to Tucker Carlson’s influence. Shockingly, even conservative institutions like the Heritage Foundation defend this trend.

Clarifying the Real Issue

Shapiro is careful to say this conflict is not about free speech or “cancellation.” He acknowledges Fuentes has the legal right to speak and Carlson the right to interview him. Despite opposing Fuentes’s platform being shut down, Shapiro finds Fuentes “odious and despicable.”

He explains that free speech means freedom from government interference, not a guarantee of promotion or amplification by major conservative media platforms.

“Free speech, properly understood, is freedom from government coercion — not a right to be promoted, signal-boosted, and flattered by major conservative platforms.”

Drawing Moral Lines

For Shapiro, the core issue is about establishing clear moral limits on who is normalized within the conservative movement, drawing a firm line against the spread of hateful and divisive ideologies.

Author’s summary: Ben Shapiro condemns Tucker Carlson for mainstreaming Nick Fuentes’s white identitarian faction, urging clear moral boundaries within the American Right to resist normalization of hateful ideas.

The American Spectator — 2025-11-06