Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is accelerating his criticism of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, repeatedly accusing Carlson of amplifying growing antisemitism among right-wing followers.
Cruz, who has clashed with Carlson before, labeled the former Fox News host part of the “so-called woke right” during the March 9 episode of his “Verdict” podcast. Carlson has drawn immense backlash in recent years for platforming content creators and guests with radical views.
Perhaps the most well-known incident was Carlson’s October 2025 interview with Nick Fuentes, a far-right content creator with an extensive history of offensive commentary regarding women, minorities, the LGBT community, and various other groups.
Cruz continued his reference to Carlson and Fuentes on Tuesday, when he spoke at an antisemitism event in Washington, D.C. The 55-year-old Cruz, who identifies as Southern Baptist, said that he believes that antisemitism is spreading rapidly among young people.
.@SenTedCruz: “I believe Tucker Carlson is the single most dangerous demagogue in this country.” pic.twitter.com/Am1wGmW5fa
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 10, 2026
“It is being spread by loud voices, the most consequential of whom is Tucker Carlson,” Cruz said. “I believe Tucker Carlson is the single most dangerous demagogue in this country. And I’ll tell you, I’ve made the decision that I’m going to take him on directly.”
Cruz then called out Fuentes while also taking a jab at other Republicans.
“Nick Fuentes is easy to denounce,” Cruz said. “I actually think it’s a tell among a Republican politician if they’ll denounce Fuentes but are scared to say Tucker’s name. That tells you a great deal.”
Carlson had not publicly addressed Cruz’s comments as of Tuesday afternoon.
Carlson and Cruz spoke for a two-hour-long interview last June, verbally sparring over topics including Iran, Israel, and the Russia-Ukraine war. That episode of “The Tucker Carlson Show” has nearly 4.7 million views on YouTube at the time of publication.
Tucker Carlson called out Cruz when the two spoke on Carlson’s podcast:
“When you first ran for Congress, one of your main goals was to defend Israel. I don’t see a lawmaker’s job as defending a foreign government. That doesn’t make me an antisemite.”pic.twitter.com/agHagdMuMB
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) March 10, 2026
Cruz isn’t the only notable conservative figure to denounce Carlson in recent weeks. Fox News host Sean Hannity, a longtime colleague of Carlson’s, said the two no longer have a relationship.
“I don’t ever talk to him, ever,” Hannity told Axios earlier this month. “I wish him well. I’ve read a lot of what he says. I just completely disagree with it. And it’s not the person that I knew when he was at Fox.”
Cruz’s comments come amid the ongoing joint military strikes between the United States and Israel on Iran. Left-wing politicians such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar have spoken out against the attacks in social media posts that have been interpreted as anti-Israel and antisemitic.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also faced allegations of antisemitism, especially after it was revealed that his wife, Rama Duwaji, liked Instagram posts celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
To report Jewish hate, antisemitic incidents, or harassment, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) accepts online reports. For campus-specific incidents, text “CALLhelp” to 51555 for the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line.
