Republicans’ Warm Embrace of Dangerous Extremists
Here in Washington, D.C., we were greeted this morning with the first snow of the year. Whatever beauty the snow created was quickly diminished by my kids’ profound disappointment about no school cancellation, despite having a two-hour rain delay earlier in the week. This inconsistency in messaging is…well, confusing.
We’ve also seen a wintry mix of baffling developments in Washington surrounding antisemitism that are, well, chilling… There are those like Senator Ted Cruz who have recently encouraged Republicans, but notably not President Trump, to stand firm against right-wing extremism and antisemitism. Yet most Republicans have remained silent, caught between what conscience they might still have and fear of being on the wrong side of MAGA, which includes the far-right.
This tension recently surfaced following white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes’ two-hour appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast and President Trump’s subsequent refusal to condemn either Fuentes’ hate or Carlson’s platforming of him. When asked about it, Trump defended Carlson because he “said good things about me [Trump] over the years.” Trump also refused to condemn Fuentes and claimed he “doesn’t know much about him,” which is laughable considering Trump hosted Fuentes for dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump’s response to the Fuentes-Carlson love fest sent a clear message that antisemitic rhetoric, white supremacy, and extremism is acceptable to the person occupying the Oval Office, so long as those espousing such hate do so in service to him. Even worse, it’s consistent with how Trump has handled the danger of the far-right since neo-Nazis, whom Trump indirectly referred to as “very fine people,” marched in Charlottesville in 2017.
Those extremists are the same people Trump failed to denounce at the 2020 presidential debate, when he refused to condemn white supremacy. Instead, from the debate stage, he instructed the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” and they heeded his call four months later on January 6th. Four years later, on his first day in office, Trump pardoned them and more than 1,500 people, including those who committed acts of violence. Again, no cancellation, no denunciation, no distancing. To the contrary – just a warm, cozy embrace of extremism.
So while some Republicans have recently tried to distance themselves from Trump’s clear acceptance of extremists, including antisemites, he’s the head of their party, and he’s calling the shots from the White House. Ultimately, what he says goes – whether it’s attacks against our democracy and rule of law or allowing far-right extremism to fester, perhaps in case he needs to deploy an extremist militia, as the recently pardoned head of the Oath Keepers suggested.
Democrats aren’t waiting for Republicans to defy Trump on this issue, and none of us should be holding our breath for Republicans to take action against the far-right. This week, Rep. Ritchie Torres introduced a bill to codify the Coast Guard’s policy prohibiting displays of swastikas and hate symbols after it was temporarily reversed by the Trump administration. This bill is unlikely to go anywhere without GOP support, and Republicans are unlikely to support it because opposing swastikas and other hate symbols is apparently now viewed as a partisan Democratic position.
Also this week, a group of six Democratic senators called on the Trump administration to stop promoting an official who proudly self-identified as having a “Nazi streak.” In a detailed letter, Democratic Senators Peters, Blumenthal, Gallego, Hassan, Slotkin, and Kim called Paul Ingrassia’s recent promotion “unacceptable” given his record of “statements directing hatred and discrimination towards women and Black, Asian, Muslim, Jewish, and Indian Americans, among others.” Despite some Republican opposition to Ingrassia’s failed nomination earlier this year, no Republicans joined these Democrats in questioning why Ingrassia would still be employed – let alone recently promoted – within the executive branch.
Additionally, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he will soon introduce a resolution rejecting Nick Fuentes, condemning Tucker Carlson’s platforming of his hate, and unequivocally denouncing antisemitism and white supremacy wherever it may emerge. Schumer currently has widespread Democratic support for this statement of moral clarity, yet it’s unclear whether he’ll receive any Republican support, despite ongoing efforts to garner GOP cosponsors. Given Trump’s normalization of right-wing extremism and hate in the GOP, it’s unlikely that any Republicans will summon the courage to join in what should be a strong bipartisan effort to denounce antisemitism.
The White House is only digging in. This week, when asked about Carlson’s platforming of Fuentes, Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice – the office tasked with combating hate crimes – defended Carlson. It’s chilling, yet under Trump, Republicans continue to platform hate. Earlier this week, a New York City-based Young Republicans club announced that it will host a far-right German political leader and member of the extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party at its annual gala. This comes just weeks after the New York Young Republicans were disbanded after a group chat in which its members repeatedly espoused racist and antisemitic views and lauded Hitler was exposed. The list goes on…
Republicans will continue to have opportunities to oppose dangerous antisemites and extremists who have been normalized by the president of the United States. But if the Schumer resolution condemning Fuentes and antisemitism is a test, it’s a test Republicans are likely to fail, choosing instead to leave Jews and Democrats out in the cold amid this White House’s warm embrace of far-right extremism.
Here at JDCA, we’re not giving up, and we’re strongly supporting efforts – which should not be viewed as partisan – to oppose antisemitism in all its forms, wherever it may emerge. We hope you’ll continue to join us because we’re a community that refuses to “stand back and stand by.” We’re taking action.