Podcast Summary

Podcast: Today, Explained
Episode: Republicans have a Nazi problem
Hosts: Noel King, Sean Rameswaram
Guests: Jonah Goldberg (The Dispatch), David Gilbert (WIRED)
Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores a controversy erupting within the American conservative movement: the growing influence and mainstreaming of openly extremist, white nationalist, and neo-Nazi figures, specifically Nick Fuentes, within Republican Party media and institutions. The recent interview of Fuentes by Tucker Carlson and the subsequent alignment (or lack of condemnation) by organizations like the Heritage Foundation have ignited deep disagreements, internal conflict, and public alarm. The hosts examine the roots of this problem and ask: How and why has the American right come to include such elements in its coalition?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Catalyst: Fuentes Interviewed by Tucker Carlson

• [00:00-00:28] The episode opens by recounting a series of alarming events: Young Republicans discussing Hitler in group chats, followed by Tucker Carlson hosting notorious Holocaust denier and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
  • Noel King: “Fuentes, a proud anti-Semite, said stuff that people thought Tucker would disavow. Tucker didn’t.”
• [02:09-06:08] Jonah Goldberg provides context on Carlson, Fuentes, and the Heritage Foundation and relays the conservative response to Carlson's interview, which many felt irresponsibly platformed extremism.

2. The Heritage Foundation’s Response

• [06:08-09:39] After blowback, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts defends ongoing support for Carlson. Instead of distancing the think tank from extremism, Roberts calls for unity against “the left,” which observers interpret as a dog whistle.
  • Kevin Roberts [06:37]: “We won't start [canceling conservatives] now… The venomous coalition attacking him are sowing division.”
  • Jonah Goldberg [06:37]: “Nobody disputes that this video statement was a complete friggin’ disaster. ...The video utterly backfired and caused a whole firestorm of controversy.”
  • Heritage staff are warned not to leak internal discussions—a warning that is immediately ignored.
  • The schism within conservative ranks deepens; younger staffers have mixed feelings, further revealing coalition fractures.

3. The Republican Coalition Debate: Who Belongs?

• [09:53-13:12] Goldberg argues this battle is about more than the Heritage Foundation or Tucker Carlson—it’s about the future boundaries of the right.
  • Some believe the GOP must become a "popular front," even welcoming extremists to maximize numbers and energy.
  • This “big tent” hypocrisy is pointed out: as those making space for neo-Nazis are happy to expel traditional conservatives.
  • Key Quote – Jonah Goldberg [11:58]: “You have to expel the lunatics. ...If you don’t have boundaries... the movement will destroy itself.”
  • The looming post-Trump right intensifies these questions: “It’s gonna be a fight that is going to unfold for a while... This is one of these early skirmishes in that longer-term battle.” [12:53]

4. Explaining Nick Fuentes’ Appeal and Influence

• [16:30-21:13] David Gilbert explains why Fuentes, once marginalized, wields significant grassroots power—especially with alienated young white men.
  • David Gilbert: “He covers a lot of the infighting within the right wing media.”
  • Fuentes' platform: anti-Semitism, anti-immigrant, and anti-feminist rhetoric.
  • Representative quote – Nick Fuentes [17:05]: “This is a white country. We should deport illegal immigrants to sustain the white demographics.”
  • Explicit support for Hitler and Holocaust denial, along with virulent misogyny.

5. Fuentes’ Strategy and Relationships with Conservative Influencers

• [21:13-25:52] Fuentes has evolved from fringe outlier to sought-after guest by mainstream right-wing figures (Carlson, Alex Jones, Candace Owens).
  • Feuds with other conservative figures, especially Charlie Kirk, are leveraged to boost his profile and test the boundaries of conservative discourse.
  • His main tool: activating a resentful, disaffected, and digitally-networked audience.
  • David Gilbert [23:38]: “People like Tucker Carlson are afraid of being left behind ...Fuentes has tapped into something. His audience is this young, white male audience that is incredibly powerful.”

6. “Infiltrate from Within” – Fuentes' Political Playbook

• [25:23-26:37] Rather than build a visible movement, Fuentes now instructs supporters to operate covertly inside institutions:
  • Nick Fuentes [25:23]: “I want groipers [his followers] to go to Yale, go to Stanford, go to Harvard, infiltrate the government.”
  • Gilbert describes this as “smart and really dangerous”—difficult to track and increasingly effective—posing a significant future threat to mainstream Republican politics.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Carlson’s Interview Conduct, Softballing Extremism:
  • Jonah Goldberg [05:21]: “It was particularly appalling because we know that Tucker CAN ask hard questions... [but] when he talks to a guy who says he loves Stalin and Hitler and thinks women really want to be raped... he's like, ‘hmm, tell me more.’”
• On the Coalition Crisis:
  • Noel King [04:36]: “And this is about coalitions. Ultimately, this became about who is in whose camp.”
• On the Conservative Movement’s Failure to Draw Boundaries:
  • Jonah Goldberg [11:58]: “If you don’t have boundaries on who you regard inside the movement, the movement will destroy itself and it will create a PR nightmare for everybody in it. You have to expel the lunatics.”
• On the Hypocrisy of Populist ‘Big Tent’ Arguments:
  • Jonah Goldberg [12:27]: “They just use the language of inclusiveness for some of the worst people in the world because they think there’s a political advantage to it.”
• On Fuentes’ Appeal to Young Men:
  • David Gilbert [24:19]: “He speaks to these young men who may be struggling to find their identity in the US—struggling to get a job, struggling in relationships, or to find a community of friends. And Fuentes tapped into that.”
• On Present and Future Danger:
  • David Gilbert [26:02]: “[Fuentes] says he’s got supporters within the administration ... who are infiltrating local political parties and ... he is, from the ground up, going to try and influence how the Republican Party acts over the next 10 years. And he is doing it really smartly and in a really dangerous way that it's very, very hard for anyone to know what’s happening.”

Important Timestamps

• 00:00-00:28: Opening: Republicans' Nazi problem; Tucker Carlson's interview with Fuentes
• 02:09-06:08: Jonah Goldberg explains stakeholders and the shock at Carlson’s platforming of Fuentes
• 06:08-09:39: Heritage Foundation's response and internal revolt
• 09:53-13:12: Broader implications: coalition conflict and future of the right
• 16:30-21:13: David Gilbert on Nick Fuentes’ worldview, tactics, and fringe-to-mainstream trajectory
• 21:13-25:52: Fuentes’ influence on the right, relationships with figures like Charlie Kirk, and recruitment strategies
• 25:23-26:37: The “stealth infiltration” strategy advocated by Fuentes

Tone, Language, and Final Thoughts

The episode's panelists—particularly Goldberg and Gilbert—speak plainly, even bluntly, about the dangers posed by the mainstreaming of extremist figures. They express alarm at the apparent lack of boundaries now tolerable on the right and stress that the current episode is not a historical aberration but a pivotal struggle about the party's future. The underlying warning: the inability or unwillingness of institutions and leaders to draw lines against outright hate not only damages their moral standing but also threatens the viability and public image of the conservative movement itself.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a deep dive into how mainstream parts of the Republican coalition are currently negotiating the presence—sometimes the embrace—of unapologetic neo-Nazi and white supremacist elements, exemplified by Nick Fuentes. The conversation explores how opportunism, shifting demographics, and the desire for youthful energy have lowered ideological barriers in conservative ranks. It is a cautionary tale about what happens when drawing boundaries is mistaken for “cancel culture”—and when short-term attention is prioritized over principle.