What A Day — "The GOP's Anti-Semitic Turn"

Host: Jane Coston (Crooked Media)
Guest: Robert Draper (New York Times journalist)
Date: November 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode examines the mainstreaming of overt antisemitism and white nationalist rhetoric within the American right, catalyzed by Tucker Carlson’s high-profile interview with white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Host Jane Coston and guest Robert Draper explore Fuentes’ rise, conservative reactions, and the deeper divides roiling the GOP as internet-fueled extremists gain greater legitimacy and influence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Current State of the GOP and Right-Wing Extremism

• Opening Context: President Trump’s latest controversies are noted, but the episode’s focus is on Tucker Carlson’s two-hour podcast with Nick Fuentes—a white supremacist recently condemned by some, but defended by surprisingly influential segments of the right ([00:29–03:58]).
• Jane Coston introduces Fuentes’ violent, openly antisemitic rhetoric:
  “Here he is speaking about how Jewish people and non Christians will need to be murdered en masse when he and his followers take power during a live stream in December of 2023...” ([01:31–02:34])

2. Nick Fuentes: Background and Rise

• Robert Draper’s Profile: Fuentes emerged as a teenage provocateur at the 2017 Charlottesville rally, quickly distinguishing himself with “out and out racism” and virulent public statements ([04:14–06:24]).
• His Demographics: Part of the Groypers—disaffected, mostly white, often incel young men; Fuentes “was camera ready...looks like a sort of innocuous young white fellow” with an appetite for media attention ([04:54]).
• Marginal to Mainstream: Following his attendance at the January 6th insurrection and a controversial dinner with Trump and Kanye West (“he was doing the same thing as always...getting deplatformed left and right”), Fuentes gained traction as social media bans faltered ([06:55–08:45]).
• Quote—Draper on Fuentes’s appeal:
  “[Fuentes] has a taste for the outrageous...he knows how to express [his beliefs] in a way that sort of, you know, cut through the noise and he speaks in full paragraphs. He's a fluent guy.” ([04:54])

3. The Carlson–Fuentes Interview: Divisions and Consequences

• How It Happened: Tucker Carlson, after initially dismissing Fuentes as a “weird little gay kid,” reversed course as Fuentes’ notoriety grew—especially among the internet right. Both share a perception of common ‘enemies’ (notably pro-Israel power brokers), fostering a new unity ([08:57–10:51]).
• Quote—Draper on the new right:
  “What they have in common is the same enemies, which is...pro Israel, particularly say influential pro Israeli donors...Carlson began to see a kind of possibility of common cause here.” ([10:15])
• Fallout on the Right:
  Some conservative leaders, like Heritage Foundation’s Kevin Roberts, condemned cancel culture but danced around condemning Fuentes outright, exposing GOP unease with denouncing racist extremists directly ([03:58–04:36]).
• Quote—Coston on purity tests in conservative circles:
  "...the conservative movement is absolutely terrified of running afoul of the purity test determined by a former Fox News talk show host and an extremely racist streamer." ([03:51])

4. Republican Leadership Calculations

• J.D. Vance’s Silence: Despite Fuentes’s open hostility to Vance (and calling him “far worse than Trump” and a “shape-shifter who was made in a Peter Thiel laboratory”), the Vice President and other GOP leaders avoid public denunciation, revealing their dependence on far-right internet factions for turnout ([11:36–12:27]).
• Quote—Draper on the tightrope:
  “…if you condemn Nick Fuentes and you turn off those voters, you perhaps turn off other people who have their own objections to Israel and may certainly not regard themselves as racist, but think that Vance has gone too far. There's a lot of ginger footwork, in other words.” ([12:27])

5. Broader Implications: Antisemitism, Purges, and Political Futures

• Platform for Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories: The right faces a struggle—between confronting overt antisemitism or prioritizing unity against the left. The result is “needle-threading” and emboldening historically resilient bigotry ([13:17–15:54]).
• Draper’s Reflection on Right and Left:
  “It’s healthy for both parties to be having open disagreements about foreign policy...however, [the right] involves all this needle threading...trying not to appear antisemitic but coddling someone like Fuentes in the meantime. I think this is a dynamic that we'll see a lot of.” ([14:01])
• Persistent Risk:
  “…there's no longer lasting conspiracy theory probably in the history of this world than the despicable conspiracy theory that Jews to blame for everything...it's dismaying but I suppose not altogether surprising that we're seeing it yet again.” ([15:43])

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Nick Fuentes (December 2023 live stream, quoted at [02:02]):
  “There is an occult element at the high levels of society and specifically among the Jews... More than anything, those people need to be when we take power, they need to be given the death penalty straight up.”
• Jane Coston ([03:51]):
  “It’s clear to me that the conservative movement is absolutely terrified of running afoul of the purity test determined by a former Fox News talk show host and an extremely racist streamer.”
• Robert Draper ([15:43]):
  “There’s no longer lasting conspiracy theory...than the despicable conspiracy theory that Jews [are] to blame for everything...bigots go back to again and again...it's dismaying but...not altogether surprising that we're seeing it yet again.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:29–03:58] — Introduction to the episode’s focus: Fuentes, antisemitism, and the right’s internal conflict
• [04:14–06:24] — Fuentes’ background, early tactics, and marginalization
• [06:55–08:45] — Fuentes’ resurgence via Trump and Kanye West, social media, and attention economy
• [08:52–10:51] — The mechanics and meaning of the Carlson–Fuentes interview
• [11:06–12:27] — The GOP establishment’s response: J.D. Vance, race, and electoral calculations
• [13:17–15:54] — Broader political consequences and antisemitism within both parties

Summary Tone & Relevance

The episode uses Jane Coston’s incisive, direct analysis and Robert Draper’s journalistic narration to highlight a dangerous mainstreaming of antisemitism and white nationalism on the American right. Listeners are left with a clear sense of the stakes for Republican politics and national discourse, as well as a warning: ignoring or rationalizing extremists for the sake of “unity” threatens democracy—“the despicable conspiracy theory that Jews to blame for everything” is not fading, but finding new advocates and platforms ([15:43]).

Recommended for:
Anyone seeking an informed, urgent discussion of the right’s internal battles over extremism, the historic persistence of antisemitic tropes in American politics, and why it matters for the country’s future.