What A Day — March 23, 2026

Episode: "The Iran War Is Fueling Antisemitism"

Host: Jane Coaston
Guest: Zach Beauchamp, Senior Correspondent at Vox

Episode Overview

This episode of "What A Day" centers on the escalating U.S. war with Iran and the dangerous rise of antisemitism in American political discourse—especially as conversations about Israel's role in U.S. foreign policy become a flashpoint on both the political right and left. Host Jane Coaston and Vox’s Zach Beauchamp discuss recent far-right and anti-war narratives blaming "the Israel lobby" and American Jews for the war, why these conspiracies have taken hold, and how criticism of Israel frequently crosses into outright antisemitism.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Background: War Escalation and Infighting on the Right

• President Trump Threatens Further Escalation with Iran
  (00:18) Jane Coaston introduces the show’s focus: Trump’s threat to escalate the conflict with Iran and tangled rationales from the White House.
• MAGA Conservative In-Fighting
  • Conservatives like former Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly and Mark Levin are embroiled in petty public arguments—illustrating deeper rifts in MAGA circles over Israel’s influence on U.S. policy.
    (00:46) Jane: “But what they're fighting about... is at war over the role that Israel, the country, and more importantly... the concept has over American foreign policy and America more generally... the United States and Israel are at war with Iran, a war that is extremely unpopular with Americans.”

2. Conspiratorial Narratives: Who's to Blame for the War?

• The “Israel Lobby” Conspiracy
  (01:51) Tucker Carlson describes Joe Kent’s view on his podcast:

  "Last week, Israel got us into this war. Its lobby in the United States pressured the president... They led the way. That's Joe Kent's position.” — Tucker Carlson (01:51)

• Fact-Checking the Narrative
  (02:14) Jane and co-hosts point out that Trump has a history of hawkishness toward Iran, challenging claims that he was a "dupe" manipulated into the conflict.
• Antisemitic Undertones
  (02:26) Jane: “A host of people on the far right have decided that Trump was a victim of Israel and by default, American Jews. And that's a problem, because... how some on the American right and the American left are talking about Israel has edged... into outright antisemitism.”

3. Interview with Zach Beauchamp: The Rise of Anti-War Antisemitism

A. Joe Kent’s Conspiratorial Resignation

• Kent’s Letter as a Conspiracy Blueprint
  (03:21) Jane on Kent: “Laying the groundwork for an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that could define the future of the GOP.”
• Beauchamp’s Analysis
  (03:39) Zach: “The letter... goes much more than [criticism of the war]. It's that Israel duped Donald Trump into a war he otherwise wouldn't have wanted, which is just, first of all, not at all true... But more importantly, it's that Kent posits Israeli influence... as a sort of catch-all cause for everything that's gone wrong in US foreign policy.”
  • Kent blames Israel for the 2003 Iraq War and even connects Israel to ISIS (04:36).

B. Dynamics within the Right: Philosemitism vs. Antisemitism

• MAGA’s ‘Good Czar, Bad Boyars’ Model
  (05:19) Zach: “Every Republican who wants to criticize one of [Trump’s] policies has to find someone else to blame for it... among people like Tucker Carlson or Candace Owens or Nick Fuentes, it's the Jews... or Israel, used as a very, very, very thin stand-in for American Jews.”
  • Trump’s approach blends stereotypical “positive” philo-Semitism with enabling white nationalist elements (08:07).
• Twin Factions Concealed by Trump’s Persona
  (08:07) Zach: “Trump in his person papers over these distinctions. He allows both of these groups to exist together in the same coalition... But... once he's gone, there will be a reckoning over what the true conservative... position on Israel and Jews is.”

C. Left-Wing Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Rhetoric

• Criticism of Israel vs. Antisemitism
  (10:02–11:00) Jane and co-host discuss left-wing reactions to Kent’s letter—many praised it for its antiwar stance while ignorant or dismissive of its conspiratorial blame on Israel for tragedies like the creation of ISIS.
• Conflating Israel and Jewish People
  • Zach: “There are clearly ways to criticize this war of choice while treating Israel as a country and not embracing antisemitism. Why do you think that has proven so hard for so many across the political spectrum?” (11:14)
• How Antisemitism Spreads on the Left

  • (11:16) Zach: “There is an anger at the American Jewish community for having pro-Israel politics, and... being critical of pro-Palestinian politics. This means that hardline anti-Israel politics will shade into an outright condemnation of many mainstream Jewish American institutions and blaming them for American policy... especially at the furthest left reaches, shades into outright antisemitism because antisemitism isn't an exclusively right wing phenomenon... there are just different species of antisemitism.”

  • The potential for even “gray area” rhetoric (like sharing the Kent letter) to be weaponized by actual antisemites in the future (13:29):

  “Kent's letter will be cited by antisemites in the future as proof that someone on the inside knew what the Jews are doing. And that will happen on both the right and the left.” — Zach Beauchamp (13:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "But blaming Donald Trump would give him too much agency, I guess. So a host of people on the far right have decided that Trump was a victim of Israel and by default, American Jews. And that's a problem, because... some on the American right and the American left... have edged... into outright antisemitism." — Jane Coaston (02:24)
• “So the letter takes this view... that Israel pushed the US into war. But it goes much more than that. It's that Israel duped Donald Trump into a war he otherwise wouldn't have wanted, which is just, first of all, not at all true... more importantly, Kent posits Israeli influence... as a sort of catch all cause for everything that's gone wrong in US foreign policy.” — Zach Beauchamp (03:39)
• "Trump has always positioned himself as a friend of Israel. But he talks about Jewish people in a very stereotypical way... He's always talked about how he wants Jewish people to be controlling his money. And he thinks that this is being very pro-Jewish when it's absolutely not." — Co-host (07:28)
• "Philo-Semitism... is always one hop away from anti-Semitism. It's not a distinct thing, but rather a prelude to disliking Jews or spreading negative stereotypes." — Zach Beauchamp (08:08)
• "The way that left wing antisemitism manifests today is as a conspiracy theory in which Israel is pulling the strings of American politics. Israel and its Jewish allies in the US to ruin things..." — Zach Beauchamp (12:05)
• "Kent's letter will be cited by anti-Semites in the future as proof that someone on the inside knew what the Jews are doing... on both the right and the left." — Zach Beauchamp (13:43)

Segment Timestamps (MM:SS)

• 00:18 — Introduction of episode themes: Iran war, MAGA right infighting, Israel’s role
• 01:51 — Tucker Carlson on Joe Kent’s "Israel lobby" conspiracy theory
• 02:24 — Jane and co-host flag antisemitism surging in war discourse
• 03:07 — Interview with Zach Beauchamp begins
• 03:39 — Dissection of Joe Kent’s anti-Semitic conspiracy theorizing
• 05:19 — “Good czar, bad boyars” model of excusing Trump, blaming Israel/Jews
• 08:07 — MAGA’s internal contradiction: philo-Semitism and antisemitism coexist under Trump
• 10:02 — How anti-war left is echoing dangerous anti-Israel/anti-Semitic rhetoric
• 11:16 — Why both right and left trip into antisemitic tropes in criticizing Israel
• 13:43 — Kent letter’s dangerous legacy for both political extremes
• 13:55 — Wrap-up of interview and pointer to more resources

Additional News Briefs (Post Main Segment)

• 19:00 — US military moves in Iran, the Straits of Hormuz standoff
• 19:28 — Lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil, US government shutdown effects
• 21:22 — Trump’s offensive social media response to Robert Mueller’s death
• 22:41 — ICE officers being sent to airports during TSA agent walkouts
• 23:28 — New Christopher Columbus statue at the White House

Tone and Style Notes

• Critical and Analytical: Jane Coaston’s tone is sharp, skeptical, and pushes for honest, uncomfortable conversations.
• Nuanced and In-depth: The conversation with Zach Beauchamp unpacks not just explosive events but the broader cultural and historical context, refusing reductive sound bites.
• Dark Humor: Wry remarks (e.g., callouts of petty MAGA fights), but always anchored in concern about bigotry and the health of public discourse.

Conclusion

This episode provides a focused, unsettling look at how rapidly antisemitic conspiracy theories can move from far-right “fringe” figures into political and social mainstreams, fueled by both MAGA denialism and poorly-dissected antiwar activism on the left. It warns listeners about the danger of conflating Israel as a state with Jewish people everywhere and the need for vigilance on how we talk about complex, fraught geopolitical crises.

Key Takeaways:

• Criticizing Israel’s policies does not require or excuse antisemitic tropes.
• Antisemitism is not limited to any one ideology; forms of it exist across the spectrum.
• Trump’s unique persona covers up significant cracks between pro-Israel and antisemitic factions within his coalition—but those cracks may widen after his influence wanes.
• Mainstreaming conspiracy theories—even inadvertently—emboldens bigots and erodes the quality of public debate.