The Republican right went into upheaval after the president of the Heritage Foundation publicly defended Tucker Carlson’s decision to interview Nick Fuentes, Holocaust denier and figure of the American far right. The news is advanced by Financial Timeswhich describes an “internal uprising” in the conservative movement and a growing divide between traditional Republicans and the MAGA wing close to Donald Trump.
Kevin Roberts, leader of the influential Heritage Foundation, refused to distance himself from Carlson — a former Fox News host and Trump ally — even after widespread criticism from conservative figures who called the Fuentes interview “unacceptable.” In a video posted on social media, Roberts said that Carlson “will always be a friend of the institution”, accusing critics of fomenting division.
The position generated an internal uprising: according to the FTseveral Heritage researchers and collaborators called for Roberts’ resignation in a tense and long internal meeting, which was then published online. Some of the names most linked to the conservative movement have cut ties with the institution, including Stephen Moore, an economist close to Donald Trump and co-author of the plan Project 2025.
The controversy also reignited public criticism within the Republican Party. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, classified Fuentes as “openly anti-Semitic, racist and anti-American”, while commentator Ben Shapiro accused Carlson of “normalizing Nazism”, recalling public statements by Fuentes praising Adolf Hitler, justifying racism and relativizing violations.
Despite the pressure, Roberts only admits that he “made a mistake” by calling his critics a “poisonous coalition”, but maintains the essentials: defending the interview and Carlson. The episode exposed a growing divide in the Republican camp between traditional conservatives — who demand a clear red line against extremists — and the MAGA universe, which refuses to sideline figures like Fuentes.