- Senator Ted Cruz and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick were featured speakers at a symposium on antisemitism sponsored by the National Review and the Republican Jewish Coalition
- Both Cruz and Patrick denounced Tucker Carlson and stressed their belief that antisemites should not be welcome within the Republican Party
- Many Texas politicians sought and welcomed support from groups with ties to antisemitism, including Texans for Strong Borders and the True Texas Project, during the recent Republican Primary
Texas leaders featured prominently at a symposium on antisemitism hosted by the National Review and the Republican Jewish Coalition on Tuesday. United States Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who also serves as Chairman of President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, were both featured speakers at the event, which was held in Washington, DC.
Much of the event focused on the growing rise of antisemitism on the political right.
In his remarks, Senator Cruz expressed dismay at the increase of antisemitism within conservative political circles and stressed the need for conservatives to criticize antisemitism within the Republican Party.
“I have seen more antisemitism in the 18 months on the right than at any point in my lifetime,” noted Cruz.
Tucker Carlson was the focus of much of Cruz’s criticism, with Cruz calling Carlson, “the single most dangerous demagogue in this country.” Cruz also told the crowd that “I’m going to take [Carlson] on head, directly.”
Cruz criticized Carlson for trying to “undermine” President Trump, saying, “Tucker and the echo chamber around him are doing everything they can to undermine President Trump. Look, to their great frustration, Donald J. Trump is not an isolationist. They have tried, they have tried mightily, and Trump repeatedly has rejected their counsel.”
While Cruz has been vocal in his public condemnation of Carlson, he remarked that many of his Senate colleagues are afraid to do so because of the “costs” involved.
“Virtually every single one of my colleagues in the Senate on the Republican side agrees with me and has said you’re absolutely right. Thank you for taking this on. And yet, almost none of them will say Tucker’s name because there is a cost.”
In concluding his remarks, Cruz described the current situation as “the beginning of a battle where our nation, our beliefs, our Constitution, the principles that built America, are under assault,” and that “we need to gird ourselves for battle and get ready and defeat this garbage.”
Cruz was followed by Patrick, who also denounced antisemitic voices on the right.
“Why am I here today? Because I’m in the same fight as Ted, and we’re not going to let the Republican Party become an antisemitic party led by people like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens and others,” said Patrick.
During his speech, Patrick referenced an incident in 2023 in which antisemitic social media personality Nick Fuentes met at the office of a political consulting firm tied to the political network of Midland businessman and donor Tim Dunn.
“When I heard that [Fuentes] came to talk to some conservative groups for about six hours… I just said that there is no room in our Republican Party for Nick Fuentes, or any Nazi, or anyone who is antisemitic,” remarked Patrick.
Patrick added, “Ted and I have been in this fight for a while, but what Ted said is important. We have other Senators who work with him, who support the cause, but they won’t speak out. And we have an obligation to speak out, because to be quiet will allow those who are enemies of the Jewish state, of the Jewish people of America, it will allow them to prevail. And I can assure you that I’m not afraid, with Ted, to stand up to Tucker Carlson or Candace Owens and call them out for who they are every day. And we need more state leaders as well as federal leaders to say that.”
While Cruz and Patrick forcefully condemned antisemitism in their comments and said that antisemites are not welcome in the Republican Party, Republican politicians across Texas actively sought and accepted the support of groups led by individuals with ties to antisemitism during the recent Republican Primary Election.
Texans for Strong Borders is led by activist Chris Russo, who was seen chauffeuring Nick Fuentes to the meeting referenced by Patrick in his speech. During the recent Republican Primary, Texans for Strong Borders endorsed dozens of candidates for state and federal office, with the candidates often touting their endorsement from Russo’s organization. According to campaign finance records on file with the Texas Ethics Commission, thirteen candidates or officeholders for state office accepted donations from Russo in the past year.
Many Texas politicians have also sought and welcomed support from the True Texas Project, an organization whose leaders have a long history of making antisemitic comments and social media posts critical of Israel. On its X account, the True Texas Project has accused members of Congress of being controlled by “AIPAC handlers,” and the group’s PAC President recently tweeted, “Trump will go down in history as a colossal failure.”
