In an interview with NBC News, Vice-President JD Vance minimized anti-Semitism among his own ranks.
Judging anybody based on their skin color or immutable characteristics, I think, is fundamentally anti-American and anti-Christian. I do think it’s important to call this stuff out when I see it. I also, when I talk to young conservatives, I don’t see some simmering antisemitism that’s exploding.
Do I think that the Republican Party is substantially more antisemitic than it was 10 or 15 years ago? Absolutely not. In any bunch of apples, you have bad people. But my attitude on this is we should be firm in saying antisemitism and racism is wrong. ... I think it’s kind of slanderous to say that the Republican Party, the conservative movement, is extremely antisemitic.
From where I sit, Vance chooses not to see anti-Semitism on the Right. And why would he? As I have previously argued, Trump would have never picked Vance as his running mate without Tucker Carlson. Vance isn't about to bite the hand that feeds him.
Vance's assertion that it is "slanderous" to suggest there is substantially more anti-Semitism in the Republican Party, and the conservative movement simply flies in the face of the facts whether its Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly's tolerance of their anti-Semitism not to mention the Heritage Foundation, the NatCons, the Pentagon's Press Secretary and, of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Vance's successor in the U.S. Senate, Bernie Moreno, trying to abolish dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship.
Of course, let us not forget President Trump's refusal to disavow right-wing anti-Semitism. If Trump isn't going to stick his neck out, then JD sure isn't going to do it either. He certainly declined to do so when Young Republicans were caught exchanging anti-Semitic text messages.
These days just about the only Republican will to stick out his neck regarding anti-Semitism is Ted Cruz. Sure, this could play out in a potential matchup between Vance and Cruz for the 2028 GOP nomination (assuming, of course, Trump sees fit to seek a third term and the Constitution be damned). Yet I cannot see Cruz prevailing. In which case, Cruz will make nice with Vance as he did with Trump and Vance might reward him with a seat on the Supreme Court.
Let us remember that Vance claimed in the NBC interview that he did not see "simmering anti-Semitism that's exploding" when speaking to "young conservatives." Yet let us also remember that Vance spoke to a Turning Point USA conference at the University of Mississippi in October. And what is Turning Point USA but a large gathering of young conservatives?
One of those young conservatives asked Vance was asked a question about why America “owed” anything to Israel when “their religion does not agree with ours and openly supports the prosecution of ours.” At no point did Vance challenge the premise of the question.
If JD Vance cannot confront the flagrant anti-Semitism of a young conservative at a Turning Point USA conference, he is certainly not going to confront the flagrant anti-Semitism of Tucker Carlson let alone acknowledge its existence.
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