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Carlson–Fuentes Uproar Recast as a Return of Conservatism’s Old Illiberal Strains

An analysis argues the controversy reveals illiberal currents long present in conservatism.

Overview

  • Tucker Carlson hosted Nick Fuentes for a sympathetic, two-hour interview that drew sharp criticism within US right-wing circles.
  • Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts initially defended Carlson, prompting resignations from its antisemitism taskforce and several academics before he apologized.
  • Commentators describe a widening split between Reagan-style conservatives and a so-called “woke right” oriented around white identity politics.
  • The analysis argues identitarian and exclusionary ideas have long existed within conservative thought, citing Roger Scruton, Edmund Burke and postwar reframing by Alain de Benoist.
  • The piece notes growth in racism, antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry in the US and UK, and contends these ideas are also homegrown in Britain.