Some conservatives are piling on right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk after his organization, Turning Point USA, found itself embroiled in accusations of antisemitism.
TPUSA contributor Lauren Chen promoted white nationalist Nick Fuentes’ thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war, calling his take on the conflict “balanced and rational.” In the same video, Fuentes said the war could have strategic advantages for the United States because it could “rally international support against” Israel, which he accused of wielding nefarious influence over the world (an obvious antisemitic trope).
And earlier this month, a woman who identified herself as a TPUSA “rep” on social media sparked backlash over antisemitic comments she made online about Jewish, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro related to the Israel-Hamas war. The woman accused Shapiro of being a “Jesus hating” shill, echoing Christian nationalist rhetoric alleging Jews killed Jesus Christ. The tirades earned condemnation from conservatives online, including from conservative commentator Erik Erickson and conservative writer Ben Domenech.
(TPUSA has denied any ties between the so-called rep and the organization.)
“If Charlie Kirk remains the head of TPUSA, the right has an anti-Semite problem that will follow them into the coming elections,” Domenech said in a post.
If Charlie Kirk remains the head of TPUSA, the right has an anti-Semite problem that will follow them into the coming elections.
— Benjamin Domenech (@bdomenech) October 15, 2023
TPUSA leadership, including Kirk, have acknowledged and tried to pour cold water on the controversies in their own ranks. But Kirk has stoked platformed antisemitic views amid the war, as well. Last week, he invited Steven Sailer, an extremist known for using racist and antisemitic tropes, on his podcast. He’s also suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have known about the Hamas attack in advance and let it happen anyway, a claim supported by extremists — like conservative agitator Stew Peters — known to spread antisemitic conspiracy theories.
The claim about Netanyahu was condemned by conservatives online, too.








