Ted Cruz Labels Tucker Carlson ‘Single Most Dangerous Demagogue’ in Speech Confronting Right-Wing Antisemitism

Washington, D.C. – While addressing an antisemitism symposium hosted by National Review and the Republican Jewish Coalition on Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) blasted former Fox News host Tucker Carlson as “the single most dangerous demagogue in this country.”

Cruz was unvarnished in his contempt for Carlson, the loudest critic of Israel on the right-wing internet. The senator lamented his “descent” into antisemitism during a fiery speech at the NR-RJC event at the Museum of the Bible.

“I will say, on the right, I have seen more antisemitism in the last 18 months on the right than at any point in my lifetime,” Cruz said. “A year-and-a-half ago, I could not have imagined we would be here having this conversation. And it is growing and it is gaining real purchase especially with young people.”

“And it is being spread by loud voices, the most consequential of whom is Tucker Carlson,” Cruz added. “I’ve made the decision that I’m going to take him on directly.”

He said Carlson’s descent began over a year ago, when he began “platforming crackpot professors, seeking to rewrite history about World War II.”

Cruz recounted Carlson inviting on “one idiot, whom he describes as the most consequential popular historian in the country, who leans forward and intones that Winston Churchill was the villain of World War II.”

A second “crackpot professor” argued on Carlson’s show that America should have sided with the Nazis in Germany in World War II.

“And for all of this, Tucker gazes adoringly,” Cruz said.

Cruz and Carlson clashed on Carlson’s show last June when they debated the U.S.-Israel alliance and President Trump’s approach towards Iran. The pair have regularly criticized each other since then, with Carlson’s opposition to the U.S.-Israel relationship only growing stronger. Cruz believes Carlson and his allies are trying to undermine President Trump’s hawkish Middle East policy, as defined by the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Trump has dismissed Carlson and other right-wing influencers for opposing Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing military campaign responsible for killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and numerous top Iranian officials. Khamenei’s son is now in charge of the battered Iranian regime and the Trump administration has provided conflicting messages about how long the operation will go on.

Last year, Trump similarly dismissed “kooky” Tucker Carlson for criticizing Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. bombing campaign on Iranian nuclear facilities. The most prominent right-wing podcaster, Carlson was recently a White House guest and retains a large online conservative audience.

Cruz repeatedly criticized Carlson’s outlandish statements and specifically attacked the podcaster’s recent insinuation that American troops would rape Iranian women if the Iranians surrendered unconditionally. He mocked Carlson for praising ousted socialist Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s opposition to gay marriage. Cruz also ridiculed the idea that U.S. regime change in Venezuela could be a vehicle for promoting gay marriage in the oil-rich nation.

Furthermore, Cruz accused Carlson of being a “vocal proponent” of Islamists and cited Carlson’s ownership of real estate in Qatar. Cruz also pointed out Carlson’s prominence on Muslim Brotherhood social media accounts and said it was reflective of Carlson’s anti-American messaging.

Like many speakers at the antisemitism summit, Cruz sounded the alarm about the rise of antisemitism among the online right and its growing influence over young people. The summit brought together lawmakers, scholars, activists, journalists, and Trump administration officials to confront the surge of antisemitism on both the political left and right.

As a Republican elected official, Cruz acknowledged the “even greater obligation” he has to criticize the antisemitism on the right because the left is a more typical target. Taking shots at his Republican colleagues, Cruz said it was easy for lawmakers to call out neo-Nazi commentator Nick Fuentes for praising Hitler and regularly spouting bigotry. But Cruz observed the difficulty GOP lawmakers have with criticizing Carlson given his influence and stature on the right.

An evangelical Christian, Cruz also lambasted pastors for lacking awareness of rising antisemitism among young conservatives, even those in their flocks. He candidly expressed his dismay at the antisemitism displayed by attendees at recent Turning Point USA events at Ole Miss and Auburn University, two prototypical southern campuses.

The sentiments expressed by young people have Cruz skeptical of the notion that pro-Israel conservatives are winning the battle against antisemitism within the right. Nonetheless, Cruz relishes the ability to be one of the right’s leading conservative advocates for maintaining the alliance between the U.S. and Israel.