Latest news with #NickFuentes
The Verge
02-08-2025
- Politics
- The Verge
The ‘Epstein files' implosion bleeds into foreign policy
While the summer doldrums have hit Washington, the MAGA influencers can never truly go on vacation, especially if they've spent their careers promising to reveal the truth about Jeffrey Epstein. Although their politicians are now in power, they're getting stonewalled, and in the absence of juicy 'Epstein files' to feed to their audiences, a new maelstrom of discontent is brewing, one that implicates much more than allegations about a pedophile's sex trafficking ring. The complex rift around Donald Trump's loyalists and the diehard Epstein truthers can no longer be separated from the issue of Israel, and as days pass, vocal criticism of the Israeli government is becoming louder and louder inside the American right wing — something that was once unthinkable. It should be emphasized that some of the most anti-Israel voices on the right are simply open antisemites, and that's using the word in the narrowest possible sense. (For example, white nationalist Nick Fuentes has espoused Holocaust denial and praised Hitler.) It is also true, however, that Israel is currently engaged in an internationally unpopular asymmetric war in Gaza, and that there is an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare. For the hardened antisemite, the mere fact that Epstein was Jewish establishes a connection between the so-called Epstein files and Israel; elsewhere in the MAGAverse, major figures (like Tucker Carlson) advance the theory that the billionaire sex offender was a Mossad asset. (This theory is bolstered in part by long-standing rumors that Ghislaine Maxwell's father was a Mossad agent.) The faction highlighting both Epstein and Israel is either nonideological (such as Theo Von, who pressed JD Vance on the Epstein files and has questioned 'why we [America] support Israel'), deeply populist and/or conspiratorial, and sometimes a combination of these categories. Tucker Carlson's two most recent podcasts, for instance, were deep dives into Epstein's history and heavy criticism of Israeli military strikes on Christian churches in Gaza — just weeks after he referenced the Epstein Mossad theory at the TPUSA conference. Alex Jones has run nonstop coverage of Epstein developments this week and on Wednesday hosted a debate with Fuentes wherein he called the Trump administration an 'absolute failure.' But shockingly, the faction that's attempted to support Trump while placating their audience has pivoted as well: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a MAGA megastar who somehow balances her support of Trump with her frequent antisemitism, went even further and called Netanyahu's actions a 'genocide.' Both Matt Gaetz and Steve Bannon, whose Epstein messaging waxes and wanes, recently called the situation in Gaza a political liability for Trump. As a news event, it's impossible to ignore Netanyahu's occupation of Gaza and the subsequent humanitarian crisis, and how it's chipped away at Americans' sentiment toward the state of Israel, now at historic lows. Trump himself notably broke with Netanyahu on Monday, telling reporters that he did not believe the prime minister's claims that children were not starving in Gaza. 'Based on television … those children look very hungry,' Trump said, adding later: 'I see it, and you can't fake that.' While unclear if they would have begun criticizing Israel if Trump hadn't done it first, the influencers' pivot was inevitable if one looks at the shifting attitudes of the podcast-listening demographic. A Pew poll published last year found that only half of young Republican men between 18 and 34 were sympathetic to Israel's actions, while the other half were either opposed or unsure — a shocking statistic compared to older Republicans, who overwhelmingly supported Israel. It hasn't gotten better since: a Gallup poll released this Tuesday found that while a majority of self-identified Republicans continued to support Israel's actions in Gaza, 51 percent of men, 54 percent of white people, and a staggering 82 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 34 did not. Maintaining a good relationship with MAGA influencers is a rather different dynamic than maintaining their alliance with Fox News For the Trump team and the Republican Party as a whole, it's becoming clearer that maintaining a good relationship with MAGA influencers is a rather different dynamic than maintaining their alliance with Fox News. A single influencer is held accountable to their audience and the comments section, whereas if a Fox talking head goes rogue, the White House can call Rupert Murdoch — whose media empire, and particularly Fox, needs access to the White House — and wrangle them back into line. (Incidentally, over the past week, according to a Media Matters analysis published Thursday, Fox News spent a cumulative three minutes talking about Epstein, and 85 minutes talking about Sydney Sweeney's denim controversy.) Even if the Trump administration establishes a symbiotic relationship with some influencers, with the expectation that they parrot Trump's line about Epstein (or Israel), they may find that their power to persuade only goes so far. A recent example from the manosphere demonstrates the limit of an influencer to, well, influence: earlier this month, the Nelk Boys, two Canadian right-wing bro podcasters, posted an interview with Netanyahu, whose government (and, by extension, Israel) has become increasingly unpopular with younger Americans due to his actions in Gaza. It backfired completely: their audience immediately began accusing the two of platforming a genocidal Zionist, going ballistic when the hosts admitted that the Israeli government fed them questions, and drew criticism from leftist streamer Hasan Piker and Nick Fuentes during the same livestream. Their YouTube channel has lost over 20,000 subscribers since posting the interview, according to Social Blade. But being on the White House's good side does have its benefits even if one loses followers: Laura Loomer, one of the loudest voices calling for Epstein documents, has recently dialed down her trutherism and instead clung harder to the White House's official continued support on Israel: In a post criticizing Zohran Mamdani, the current Democrat nominee in the New York City mayoral race, she announced that she would never 'feel safe with Muslims holding office in America' and that she didn't care about who she offended. 'This is why I will never care about Gaza,' she added. Unconditional loyalty, however, does have its benefits: Loomer's been credited with convincing Trump to fire over a dozen officials for perceived MAGA disloyalty. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Tina Nguyen Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. 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Memri
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Neo-Nazi California Gubernatorial Candidate Posts Picture of Auschwitz as Their "0% Unemployment Plan" To Address Homelessness
A neo-Nazi and theocratic fascist is running for Governor of California in 2026. The neo-Nazi candidate's stated policies include plans to "revitalize … Catholicism's foundations" in California, to spread Christianity and Catholicism, end all immigration – legal and illegal – to stop "Americans" from being replaced, and imprison and exterminate, en masse, homeless people in California. Their proposed homelessness policy has drawn significant attention and backlash on X, as they posted a selfie of himself at Auschwitz with the caption: "My 0% Unemployment Plan" to promote their plan. In another controversial policy proposal, the neo-Nazi candidate stated they would deport all illegal immigrants, except for women, to whom they would give one year to marry a Californian incel to avoid deportation. The neo-Nazi also uses their X account to publish neo-Nazi content, such as calling for an increase in the "Aryan birth rate," lambasting Jews as the enemies of Americans, and publishing Hitler fancam videos. This report will review the candidate's X posts, seeking to illustrate their neo-Nazi and clerical fascistic ideology. YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MEMRI VIOLENT EXTREMIST THREAT MONITOR (VETM) TO READ THE FULL REPORT. GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA CAN REQUEST A COPY BY WRITING TO DTTMSUBS@ WITH THE REPORT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE. PLEASE INCLUDE FULL ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS AND AN OFFICIAL EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR REQUEST. NOTE: WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COPY ONLY TO MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MEDIA, AND ACADEMIA, AND TO SUBSCRIBERS; IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST. Candidate's Neo-Nazi And Clerical Fascist Beliefs In their own words, the neo-Nazi's primary concern, aside from "White people and their well-being" is "the Catholic Church and spreading Christianity and Christian values because that is what is really most important." The California gubernatorial candidate detailed their white Christian nationalist views, in addition to praising neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes, in a video soliciting donations that they posted to X on March 24. The full video includes the following: "As you can tell I am a firm supporter of Nick Fuentes, I put America first, America only. I also care about White people and their well-being. And, probably first, more primarily… I care about the Catholic Church and spreading Christianity and Christian values because that is what is really most important because in California we are spiritually damaged. But, I am feeling a Great Awakening … there's a Great Awakening happening right now in California. … Everything is all coming together so … if you believe in me and want us to win just donate like $5 or so, trust me it goes a long ways … Im going to promote Christianity because it's the right thing to do and as Christians we're supposed to die on that fact. We're supposed to live by our beliefs and be martyred if necessary and that's exactly how I live it. … America First, California First, Thank you so much! Let's win this thing!" Additionally, their March 24 repost of the video illustrated their neo-Nazi beliefs, with the caption: "Nothing less than a TOTAL ARYAN VICTORY in California will suffice! [lightning bolt emoji] California will become BETTER THAN EVER very soon. [bear emoji][purple heart emoji] Life for Californians will improve by leaps & bounds. [rising stock chart emoji][dancing man emoji]" Similarly, the neo-Nazi demonstrated their commitment to revolutionary Christo-fascism, in a July 20, 2025 post. The video post, published on X, featured fancam style edits of Jesus Christ with the caption: "The Constitution as it stands now is an obstacle to a new Holy American Empire." Many of their other posts highlight the prominence of their neo-Nazi ideology as well. For example, in an April 29, 2025, X post, they wrote: "Weimar Problems require Weimar Solutions. [bear emoji][lightning bolt emoji][American flag emoji]." The post was in reply to a post from that claimed "California lawmakers rejected a measure to classify the purchase of sex from 16- and 17-year-olds as a felony." / More recently, on July 25, 2025, the neo-Nazi published an X post of himself in front of Auschwitz with the caption: "My 0% Unemployment Plan," expressing their implicit support of the Holocaust and their desire to replicate its forced internment, labor, and extermination practices against the homeless population in the U.S. The post was in reply to a post claiming that "California now leads the nation in both unemployment and homelessness."
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Neo-Nazi podcaster Fuentes calls MAGA a 'scam' following Epstein 'cover-up'
Neo-Nazi podcaster Nick Fuentes is the latest far-right media star to turn on President Donald Trump over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Fuentes is a long-time Trump supporter, known for his racist, sexist, and antisemitic views and for participating in the 2017 Charlottesville white supremacist march. In the wake of Trump's November 2024 election win, Fuentes was condemned for a post on X where he wrote, 'Your body, my choice. Forever.' Speaking on his 'America First' podcast on Thursday, an outraged Fuentes raged at the president's 'Epstein cover-up' and leveled personal attacks at Trump. 'F**k you. F**k you,' Fuentes said. 'You suck. You are fat. You are a joke. You are stupid. You are not funny. You are not as smart as you think you are.' While he once had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-lago, Fuentes' relationship with the president seems to have soured over Epstein. 'This just goes to show this entire thing has been a scam. When we look back on the history of populism in America, we are going to look back on the MAGA movement as the biggest scam in American history, and the liberals were right. The MAGA supporters were had. They were,' Fuentes it's any consolation to Trump's disappointed followers, the feeling appears to be mutual. In a post on Truth Social earlier this week, Trump raged against supporters who were hung up on Epstein. Trump called the story around the late sex trafficker a 'hoax' and said that people who still believs there's more to the story are 'weaklings.' 'My PAST supporters have bought into this 'bulls**t,' hook, line, and sinker,' Trump wrote. 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' Before taking to his podcast, Fuentes responded to Trump's tirade with a simple, 'Lol.' The post Neo-Nazi podcaster Fuentes calls MAGA a 'scam' following Epstein 'cover-up' appeared first on
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Fans Torch Their MAGA Hats Over Epstein ‘Cover-Up'
MAGA has found a new way to express its fury over the infamous 'Epstein files.' President Donald Trump's fevered support base has been in an uproar after the Departmnet of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed in a memo July 6 the disgraced financier kept no 'client list' and likely died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, rather than being murdered, in 2019—the subject of widespread conspiracy theories among Trump's supporters. 'We need to burn our MAGA hats, I think that's a solution. That's the only language Trump will understand. He needs to be abandoned at this point,' white nationalist and avowed Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes said in a clip from his podcast shared on X. 'The message needs to be this: 'We're done, we don't understand. The radical right is f---ing furious. We are done.'' The MAGA-verse has since taken up Fuentes' call, posting videos torching their iconic red caps in backyards, firepits, and even on BBQ grills. 'We're not gonna play with these anymore,' one person said in a clip widely shared on X. 'MAGA hats are off, America First hats are on.' 'This is a great representation of what's left of MAGA,' the user added toward the end of the video, surveying the ashes on the pile. 'Just burnt my MAGA hat,' another person posted along with a similar video. 'Why the f--k would you go to that island? @realDonaldTrump.' A former Epstein associate in his own right—in August 2017, Epstein told Trump biographer Michael Wolff that Turmp was his 'closest friend'—Trump for years courted conspiracy theorists and far-right influencers convinced the late pedophile was just one actor in an expansive sex trafficking ring and that Democrats orchestrated death in prison to shield his wealthy allies. But his pledges on the campaign trail to release previously unknown details of Epstein's case have now backfired spectacularly, with FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino—a true believer in the Epstein cover-up and previously a luminary in the conspiratorial world of conservative podcasting—threatening to resign over Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the case. Trump's efforts to calm the storm have fallen largely on deaf ears. During a Tuesday cabinet meeting, he angrily berated reporters for continuing to discuss 'this creep' Epstein, and wrote on Truth Social over the weekend that 'we're on one team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening,' further urging followers to 'LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB—SHE'S GREAT!' Despite those overtures, interest in what remains of the findings in the Epstein case to be released to the public has only continued to mount, with CNN finding an almost 2,000 percent surge in Google searches on the late financier over the past seven days alone.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump taps 30-year-old with little government experience and links to Holocaust denier to lead federal agency
President Donald Trump has nominated a 30-year-old with little government experience — as well as a connection to a well-known Holocaust denier — to lead the independent agency that protects whistleblowers. Paul Ingrassia, nominated by Trump in May to lead the Office of Special Counsel, has a history of racist language and promoting conspiracy theories, including denying the Holocaust, according to a new report from The Office of Special Counsel was created after the Watergate scandal and intended to be politically independent to protect whistleblowers from retaliation and end government and political corruption. Previous heads overseeing the office of about 140 people have included longtime prosecutors or other federal employees, including former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election. Ingrassia graduated Cornell Law School in 2022 and was admitted to the bar in New York last summer. Since then, he has worked as a White House liaison at the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, according to his LinkedIn. According to the report, which reviewed comments Ingrassia made from 2019 to 2024, the 30-year-old not only brings much less experience than previous occupants of the position, but a history of inflammatory remarks about a variety of subjects. While Ingrassia has publicly shown support for notorious White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, CNN found the two had a much deeper connection than previously known. Ingrassia has shared comments from Fuentes on his personal social media pages in addition to accounts for his podcast, Right on Point. He also came to Fuentes' defense when he was banned from X, arguing for his reinstatement in an April 2023 Substack post titled 'Free Nick Fuentes.' More recently, he was photographed attending a June 2024 rally in Detroit in support of Fuentes. However, Ingrassia later denied his attendance was intentional, telling NPR, 'I had no knowledge of who organized the event, observed for 5-10 minutes, then left.' Both Fuentes and Ingrassia have criticized the conservative organization Turning Point USA for supposedly being too pro-Israel and insufficiently pro-White, according to the report. There is also evidence pointing to anti-Israel sentiment in posts shared by his podcast, including a since-deleted post from December 2020 that read, 'Stop shilling for Israel, @GOP,' and criticizeing US foreign aid with a tweet falsely stating, 'The $500 trillion to Israel adds salt to the wound.' Ingrassia became known as a pro-Trump commentator online as early as 2019, when he was just 24 years old. In addition to his connection to Fuentes, he has also publicly promoted conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11. The Department of Homeland Security dismissed CNN's findings as an 'attempted smear campaign,' with a spokesperson saying in a statement that Ingrassia 'has served President Trump and Secretary Noem exceptionally well at the Department of Homeland Security and will continue to do so as the next head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.' The White House also expressed support for Ingrassia, and DHS sent a statement from an unnamed senior administration official, who said, 'He has the support of many Jewish groups, and has been a steadfast advocate for Jewish causes and personnel thus far during his time working for the Trump administration.' The Independent has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
