Scrolling through social media platforms, I noticed reels shared or liked by followers who have genuinely no interest in politics. These were not ordinary videos critically discussing the current state of US politics, but part of a new and dangerous trend that has emerged amid the complex crisis unfolding in the Middle East. A typical pattern among social media extremists is increasingly visible in the form of antisemitic traits.
By Farid Shurkurlu
While the facade of this phenomenon may appear to be a new anti-Israel coalition in the media, it runs far deeper. Individuals who claim to champion “America First” are often the same ones who celebrate the death of Americans, driven by pure hatred for the very country they profess to love.
The American right is divided into many categories. It was once dominated by the Bush–Cheney neo-conservative agenda, with a firm and calculated foreign policy shaped by the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
Dick Cheney’s foreign policy doctrine reshaped the geopolitical order in the Middle East, from the invasion of Iraq to planting the seeds of the Arab Spring. It was flawed, but undeniably assertive and effective in eliminating dictatorships.
However, the election of Barack Obama twice in a row eliminated most neoconservative candidates, as the Republican base began to crave Paleoconservatives who later rallied behind Trump’s “MAGA” movement. Despite the similarities to Pat Buchanan’s lasting political legacy, Trump rebranded the movement as his own, inventing a more hawkish style of conservatism.
It was no longer the domain of the older, ostensibly rational Paleos within the GOP, but of an outsider with a clear mission: fighting for “Americanism” instead of globalism.
The year of political upheavals that swept across the US and Europe with Trump’s shock victory and Brexit in 2016, revealed the roots of the new right as a combination of philosophical influence and Trump’s personal flair. Nevertheless, what is currently unfolding within the right-wing media ecosystem has little to do with Trump or with America itself.
Polarising figures like Nick Fuentes, a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who openly boasts about his hatred for African Americans, Jews and other minorities, are now “occupying” our news feeds. The norm is no longer adherence to facts or to the standards of political discourse, but the use of racial slurs and Holocaust denial wrapped in the branding of “America First”.
Tucker Carlson’s recent podcast with Fuentes intensified the debate on X, as many labelled them modern-day fascists supported by Qatar and Russia. A proud white supremacist was given a platform by a mainstream media personality, where he continued to spread antisemitic myths and praise Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who was responsible for the starvation of millions of Ukrainians.
It has now been normalised to host figures like Nick Fuentes, as Patrick Bet-David and Tucker Carlson appear eager to provide airtime to a felon who once chanted “Jews will not replace us” during the Unite the Right rally.
The growing popularity of the Groyper movement and online extremism does not end with Fuentes. Social media algorithms are no longer banning Paul Miller (GypsyCrusader), who belongs to the neo-Nazi ecosystem of online provocateurs. It is alarming to see how the average internet user fails to recognise this online terrorism, which threatens the democratic foundations of the United States.
These individuals openly criticise America, advocate for a race war against non-white Americans, and yet remain active online despite their extremist views. All these far-right extremists, including Candace Owens, turn against Trump the moment they lose their platforms. One must not buy into the lives of these fascists who once styled themselves as his most loyal supporters, yet now denounce him as a “race traitor” simply because he is not racist and values all Americans equally.
Ideational Disintegration of the Modern Left
Traditionally, as one of the modern birthplaces of free market economies, the United States differed from the wider Western world. Even though it still produced left-wing intellectuals like John Steinbeck who offered their cooperation (for the CIA) and service to the nation, the traditional American left was not as disoriented as it is today.
Contemporary left-wing Americans often ignore the domestic problems of ordinary citizens and instead use identity politics to attack the country. Looking at the progressive alliance of Ana Kasparian, Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker, one can identify a typical pattern in their work.
For example, they often repeat the Chinese narrative about the United States, complaining about the very existence of their country and portraying American influence abroad as inherently evil, while raising no concerns about the treatment of minorities in China, where entire communities (Uyghur Turks) are “indoctrinated” in concentration camps. They use their migrant backgrounds to attract empathy from other migrant groups or far-left university students who have been taught to resent America.
Hasan Piker once said that America deserved 9/11, and he still maintains a large following on social media. His statement was not only inhumane but also morally degrading, considering the tragic death of 2,977 people who fell victim to Islamist terrorism on the darkest day in American history.
His recent visit to China was filled with content aligned with the propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party, praising a regime that has occupied Tibet and continues to threaten Taiwan daily. Piker even claimed that the United States should adopt and emulate China in an interview with a state-owned media outlet. At this point, there is no meaningful way to question his role in promoting a country that openly positions itself as an adversary of the United States.
Cenk Uygur is notoriously known for his sexist comments and his public use of the N-word. He has also accused Jews of cancelling him as a political commentator, adding to his record of antisemitic remarks in a debate with Rabbi Shumey.
The other co-star of The Young Turks, Ana Kasparian, has also spent her career spreading anti-American rhetoric. Recently, she used one of the oldest tricks in the book by reproducing the image of the “Happy Merchant”, a Nazi caricature commonly used in online spaces such as 4chan and similar message boards.
The Armenian American progressive commentator has also expressed opposition to the United States' involvement in the South Caucasus, acting as a political tool for ANCA and other ARF-affiliated Armenian lobbyist groups that aim to discredit American diplomacy in peace efforts between Baku and Yerevan.
Her positive remarks about the protection of Christian heritage in Iran are equally misleading, considering the treatment of Christian Iranians, especially since the number of imprisoned Christians reportedly reached six figures in 2025.
The Horseshoe Trap of American Politics
Horseshoe theory is a political concept suggesting that the political spectrum is not a straight line but a horseshoe shape, where the extreme left and the far right are closer to each other than to the political centre.
The current rise in popularity and tolerance of both far-right and far-left movements is shaped by the political deprivation created through foreign influence in mainstream politics. Anti-American forces such as Russia, Iran and China consistently seek out extremist factions within American society to inject their influence.
Despite their attempts to demoralise American society through social media platforms and targeted propaganda, popular movements and elected officials generally do not gravitate towards extremism due to the traditional nature of American policy-making.
The more figures like Tucker Carlson attempt to normalise racism and antisemitism in mainstream media, the more determined the American public becomes in refusing to allow “uneducated” and traumatised young extremists to dominate the conversation. Nevertheless, both the far left and far right appear to converge in their approach to United States foreign policy by scapegoating Israel, which is the closest American ally in the Middle East and one of the largest importers of American military equipment.
The radical left and right may push for alternative approaches. Yet, they remain detached from reality when assessing the carefully calculated foreign policy of the United States towards Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. They may have patrons in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran. Still, they seem to forget that at the end of the day, it is Washington, D.C., where Americanism ultimately prevails over anti-American narratives, both domestically and internationally.
The very ideas that hold America together will ultimately defeat Nick Fuentes’ version of “America First”. At the same time, true Americanism will prevail through the success of the United States and its allies in their struggles against America’s adversaries.
