Tucker Carlson appears unfazed by warnings from a prominent Republican regarding his decision to feature Nick Fuentes on his widely-viewed show. The former Fox News host is now openly challenging the Republican Party.

Recently, Carlson found himself at the center of a storm after inviting the controversial figure Fuentes, known for his anti-Semitic rhetoric, onto his podcast.

Fuentes, who has infamously declared his pursuit of a “total Aryan victory” and advocated for a “holy war” against Jewish individuals, has made offensive remarks, including comparing Holocaust victims to cookies in an oven.

Carlson’s decision to welcome Fuentes has sparked a broader conversation within the GOP about the extent to which the party should associate with its more radical, and at times prejudiced, far-right factions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a committed Christian, has been vocal in his condemnation, criticizing Carlson for giving Fuentes a platform. Other prominent Republicans, such as Senator Ted Cruz, have also expressed disapproval of Carlson’s actions.

Despite these criticisms, Carlson appears indifferent to the backlash from his GOP colleagues and is increasingly distancing himself from the party.

‘The Republican Party is almost to the point where it’s just useless and I’m gonna have to oppose it,’ Carlson told podcaster Shawn Ryan. ‘I hate them too much, because they’re such betrayers.’

‘You can’t take my tax dollars and then refuse to do anything about child molestation,’ Carlson continued. 

Tucker Carlson received lots of criticism for hosting antisemite Nick Fuentes on his podcast 

Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke to Tucker Carlson about Nick Fuentes and told the former Fox News host that amplifying the antisemitic pundit was a ‘big mistake’ 

Johnson didn’t just keep his advice to himself, though. 

‘I spoke briefly with Tucker about that, and I think it’s a responsibility. He has a lot of listeners, and I think giving Nick Fuentes that platform is a big mistake,’ Johnson said this week in an interview with The Hill. 

However, Carlson did not appear to care about the speaker’s counsel.   

‘Well, obviously, I’m not sure if he agreed with me on that,’ Johnson continued.  

‘But we have different views on Israel, and, you know, we’ve talked about that.’

A new concern for Johnson is the emergence of antisemitism on the right. 

Fuentes and Carlson are both popular figures on the right, despite not having mainstream platforms. 

Fuentes has roughly half a million followers on the streaming service Rumble, where he hosts his show. Each episode regularly pulls in several hundred thousand views. 

Carlson has said that he has no regrets about hosting Fuentes

‘You know, do your own interview the way that you want to do it. You’re not my editor. Buzz off,’ Carlson said to Megyn Kelly when she pressed him on hosting Fuentes

‘WORLD JEWRY MEETING??? Shapiro and Bari Weiss Condemn Far Left and Far Right,’ one of Fuentes’s most recent episodes discussing Jewish media figures Ben Shapiro and Bari Weiss was titled. It garnered nearly a million views. 

Facing critiques in a recent interview with Megyn Kelly, Carlson noted that he has no regrets about hosting the antisemite. 

‘You know, do your own interview the way that you want to do it. You’re not my editor. Buzz off,’ Carlson shared. 

Meanwhile, Johnson doubled down on distancing the GOP from the controversial pundit. 

‘I was listening to a compilation of some of the worst things he said. It’s vile, terrible stuff. I mean, it’s not just antisemitic, it’s openly racist, it’s violent — things you can’t even repeat on the House floor,’ he told The Hill. 

Still, speech is protected, no matter how ugly, the speaker noted.   

‘All speech is to be protected, cherished as part of the hallmark of America. So, Tucker and everyone else have their right to free speech, and Nick Fuentes has a right to free speech,’ Johnson continued. ‘What I’m saying is that we have a responsibility. With that freedom comes responsibility, and our responsibility is not to amplify that, not to give it a platform.’