Donald Trump's sweeping victory in the U.S. presidential election was followed by a turbulent return to the White House. Nearly two months later, the storm shows no signs of subsiding. Leaning on the experience from his previous term and broad support from a clear majority of American society, the newly re-elected president quickly began implementing a decisive and focused domestic and foreign policy agenda.
At the same time, the euphoria among conservatives due to Trump's "total victory" has emboldened extreme voices on the American right, many of whom are associated with antisemitic views and were previously considered marginal.
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דונלד טראמפ עצרת קמפיין בחירות טולסה אוקלהומהדונלד טראמפ עצרת קמפיין בחירות טולסה אוקלהומה
Republican voters at Trump's rally (archive)
(Photo: AP)
Trump's landslide win was preceded by a significant exodus of voters, including many from the Jewish community, who traditionally supported the Democratic Party. This shift was driven, in part, by a distaste for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, whose members advocate extreme positions that deviate from the party mainstream. The progressive agenda, often labeled as "woke," aggressively promotes political correctness in the name of achieving "equality" between marginalized and dominant groups. However, critics argue it ignores successful minority groups, including Asians and Jews.
Even before Trump's victory, critics of the Democratic Party warned of a similar rise of extremist voices within the American right, which has been dubbed the "Woke Right." Over the past week, social media has been flooded with antisemitic and anti-Israel statements from right-wing influencers and political commentators, sparking tensions between mainstream conservative figures and these radical voices.
Among the prominent figures linked to this wave of antisemitism are former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and former Daily Wire commentator Candace Owens. Once associated with mainstream conservatism, both have veered toward extreme positions, expressing antisemitic and anti-Israel views following the October 7 Hamas attack and during the Iron Swords War. Another key figure is far-right influencer Andrew Tate, who was charged last year with rape and human trafficking. Tate's continued popularity has sparked calls within the Republican Party to distance itself from extremist elements.
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אנדרו דייט הפגנה מול שגרירות צרפת ב בוקרשט טקס פתיחה אולימפיאדה פריזאנדרו דייט הפגנה מול שגרירות צרפת ב בוקרשט טקס פתיחה אולימפיאדה פריז
Andrew Tate
(Photo: Daniel Mihailescu/ AFP)
Voices within the conservative movement opposing the rising tide of antisemitism include former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, now a popular podcast host, Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, and journalist Ben Domenech, who writes for The Spectator and Fox News. In a pointed remark about Tate's popularity, Domenech said, "It will never not be funny how a failed reality TV star and human trafficker managed to convince a bunch of right-wing losers that he's the definition of an alpha male." Dillon added, "Even ignoring Tate's alleged crimes, it's remarkable how many people refuse to condemn an abusive pimp." Kelly echoed these sentiments, sharing a post criticizing those who hesitate to denounce Tate, likening his defenders to those who once claimed O.J. Simpson was innocent.
The post Kelly shared was written by Hillary Crowder, ex-wife of conservative commentator Steven Crowder, a staunch supporter of Israel. She criticized the Hodge Twins, conservative comedians who recently hosted Tate on their podcast, stating, "They were always nice to me personally, but there's nothing 'conservative' about them. They're comedians who branded themselves as conservatives to cater to the Republican audience."
Amid the surge of antisemitism on social media and the infighting within the American right, conservative journalist Christopher Rufo called on his peers to "reject the toxic antisemitism and those who peddle it." In an op-ed published last week in The Free Press, Rufo described how "Hamas's October 7 terror attack against Israel created fertile ground for a propaganda war." In the U.S., he noted, "leftist academics seized the opportunity to call for the 'decolonization' of Israel," while online, a new form of antisemitism emerged.
Rufo specifically named Andrew Tate, Candace Owens, and rapper Kanye West as figures who "used the attention surrounding October 7 to push conspiracy theories and explicit antisemitism—allegedly from a 'right-wing' perspective." He compared the current social media climate to the 1991 Crown Heights riots in New York, a series of antisemitic attacks following the spread of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. According to Rufo, "Antisemitism has appeared in various forms throughout history, shaped by the culture, language, and technology of its time. Today, we are witnessing the digitization of the Crown Heights riots."
Unlike past antisemitic figures such as Rev. Al Sharpton, who was central to the Crown Heights unrest, Rufo argued that today’s antisemitism "is driven not by political activists but by online influencers." These influencers, he said, "have constructed a narrative that deviates from the left's 'oppressor versus oppressed' framework and promotes confused conspiracy theories, claiming Jews control American media and use blackmail to secure support for Israel."
Rufo pointed to the cynical and detached tone of this new antisemitism: "When Kanye West sells a shirt emblazoned with a swastika, it is not out of allegiance to any neo-Nazi movement. It is an act of transgression designed to provoke censorship and position himself as a martyr." He warned that while leftist media amplifies these extremist views to undermine support for Israel, right-wing networks exploit them to build an audience.
He concluded by emphasizing the financial incentives driving extremist influencers: "Candace Owens has never been more popular, turning every controversy into views, followers, subscriptions, and payments." Yet, he warned, "While antisemitic ideologies may be profitable in the digital economy, they are toxic in the political arena. The right must reject them and those who peddle them, just as it once rejected Al Sharpton."
Trump's victory and the rise of extremist voices on the right did not emerge in a vacuum—they followed a steady defection of voters from traditionally Democratic groups toward the Republican Party. Election results revealed a significant shift among minority groups, including Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters, away from the Democrats. A similar trend was observed among Jewish voters.
Unlike other minority groups, however, the Jewish community's shift toward Trump and the GOP was accompanied by a profound sense of betrayal. Many Jewish voters who had long supported the Democratic Party found themselves vilified as "Zionists" and accused of "supporting genocide in Gaza" after the October 7 attack. Despite the Biden administration's consistent support for Israel, the Democratic establishment repeatedly sought to appease anti-Israel voices within the party.
A striking example of the Democrats' "loss of direction" is their support for Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian immigrant who led anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. Khalil was arrested last week by immigration authorities ahead of his deportation as part of Trump's policy to crack down on "terror supporters" on elite university campuses. Many Democratic lawmakers condemned his arrest and demanded his immediate release, ignoring extensive evidence of his antisemitic activities and support for terrorism, which allegedly violate the terms of his green card.
Democrats' support for Khalil sparked widespread criticism, with Republican lawmakers arguing it demonstrates they "have learned nothing" from their electoral defeat. Meanwhile, Shabbat Kastenbaum, a Harvard graduate and prominent voice against campus antisemitism, remarked, "More Democrats have stood up for a foreign student who harassed my peers and broke the law than for American students who simply wanted to learn. We deserved to lose in 2024 and will keep losing until we restore sanity to the party."