Charlie & Israel

Shortly after Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10th by a trans-obsessed leftist, something else tragic happened. Various nefarious forces started claiming that Israel was involved in Kirk’s assassination. 

The suggestion is absolutely ludicrous. There is no evidence whatsoever that Israel had anything to do with Kirk’s murder. Moreover, Charlie Kirk was staunchly pro-Israel. But some people on the fringes of the conservative movement—Candace Owens being the worst among them—pushed this insane conspiracy theory. 

People close to Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA released messages and communications indicating that while Kirk didn’t believe everything the Israeli government did must be supported, he was still a strong friend of the Jewish state.

Charlie Kirk believed, as I do, that antisemitism is a sin. The Jewish people have an explicit covenant with God. As Christians, Paul tells us that we are “grafted in” to the holy root—the Jewish faith. 

It is a grave sin for any Christian to embrace antisemitism, the hatred of Jews. Virtually the entire Bible was written by Jews. The first family of Christendom—Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—were Jews. The disciples were all Jews. 

Our faith teaches that the end of all time, as described in the New Testament, will take place in Jerusalem. In multiple verses of the Bible, Jews are referred to as “the apple of God’s eye.” The Hebrew word for “apple” used in that phrase refers to the “pupil of the eye.” So, when someone attacks Jews, they are poking God in the eye.

Carlson & Christian Zionism

Enter Tucker Carlson. While Carlson has been a voice for good on many issues, in recent months he seems to have sipped the same poison as Owens. He has been increasingly critical of the Jewish/Christian alliance that is defending Judeo-Christian civilization. 

Last week, Tucker gave Nick Fuentes the benefit of his very large social media platform. Fuentes has praised Adolf Hitler. He has questioned the Holocaust and suggested that Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, is an Israeli “plant.” 

Fuentes said many of these same things in his interview with Carlson, and Tucker did not question these outrageous comments. Carlson also smeared Christian Zionists as suffering from a “brain virus.” 

I am a Christian Zionist. Christian Zionists are those who believe the Bible, who believe in God’s covenant with Abraham, and who believe that God will bless those who bless Israel and that He will curse those who curse Israel. 

We believe that this covenant was not canceled in any way by the Jews not accepting Jesus as the Messiah at the time of His crucifixion. I will write more about the theological underpinnings of Christian Zionism later for those who are not familiar with it.

Tucker Carlson came under heavy fire for interviewing Fuentes. His friend, Kevin Roberts of the Heritage Foundation, defended Carlson, saying conservatives shouldn’t be taking shots at each other. But that’s exactly what Carlson did by smearing Christians who support Israel.

The blowback against Roberts was substantial, including from inside the Heritage Foundation. There have been staff shakeups in the wake of this blowback, although the implications of those changes are not yet clear.

But this much is clear: Antisemitism must not be tolerated anywhere within the conservative movement. I believe it is clear that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance agree on that point. Millions of Christians will not be part of any movement that condones antisemitism. The Left can have it all to themselves. (See next item.)

By the way, the one person in this debate with Jewish children and grandchildren is Donald Trump. 

Left-wing Antisemitism

It’s undeniable that the “progressive Left” has a growing problem with antisemitism. We saw it in the Black Lives Matter movement. We saw it in the Women’s March. We saw it on our college campuses. The Democrat Party establishment will not confront the antisemitism that is so pervasive among its left-wing base. They are cowards. 

It’s likely that New York Democrats are about to elect a radical antisemite as mayor of New York City, the largest city in the United States. Zohran Mamdani may well win tomorrow because Democrats like Chuck Schumer do not have the courage to call out Mamdani. 

At the same time, a radical Islamist may well become the next mayor of Minneapolis because Minnesota Democrat leaders like Tim Walz do not have the courage to call him out either.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Maine are rallying around a Senate candidate who has a giant tattoo on his chest of the German unit that ran the Nazi death camps. Democrats were scandalized by Pete Hegseth’s Jerusalem Cross tattoo. But they are silent about an actual Nazi tattoo.

Yes, the conservative movement is wrestling with antisemitism on the Right. But it’s a handful of marginalized voices. Nick Fuentes has no political power. Tucker Carlson is not a candidate for anything, much less poised to actually lead one of America’s largest cities. 

The Democrat Party is in danger of having its coalition unravel over growing hostility toward Israel and Jews. Their stupid and suicidal immigration policies are largely responsible for this crisis. They are now reaping what they have sown after decades of importing hate.

America First

A major part of the MAGA movement doesn’t want any more no-win wars when our national security interests are not clear. But some on the Right appear to be embracing anti-Israel attitudes because they think America First means isolationism. That’s wrong.

Donald Trump has always said that he wants peace through strength. But he never suggested that he would never project American power when needed. That is not his record from his first term or this term. 

In his first term, Donald Trump crushed ISIS. He took out Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s terrorist mastermind. In his second term, Trump took out Iran’s nuclear weapons program and is blowing cartel drug boats out of the water. 

Now, he is vowing to take action to protect Christians in Nigeria. (See next item.) Donald Trump is not an isolationist. But if we must use force, he will do so decisively to ensure victory. 

Trump Defends Christians

Friday afternoon, President Trump announced that he was taking action to address the growing atrocities against Christians in Nigeria. On his Truth Social media platform, the president declared:

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — But that is the least of it.”

Some pundits are mocking Trump’s “Country of Particular Concern” designation for Nigeria, as if it was something he made up out of thin air. The phrase comes from the law on religious persecution. It is the phrase used by the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). 

It refers to a country that is a serious violator of human rights, especially religious liberty. Such a designation can have significant consequences, including economic sanctions. These pundits should try doing some journalism!

This president was a strong defender of religious liberty during his first term and remains so in this term. 

President Trump appointed me to USCIRF during his first term, so I am very familiar with the terrible plight of Christians in Nigeria. I am glad President Trump took this step after Joe Biden abandoned Nigeria’s Christians, and I am particularly grateful for his clear language in defining the problem. 

One of my greatest frustrations during my time on USCIRF was getting the commission’s bureaucrats to understand the true nature of the conflict. They insisted it was a dispute between “farmers” and “herders” triggered by climate change. No. It is, as the president stated, a jihad being waged by radical Islamists against Christians.

Reverend Franklin Graham praised President Trump’s announcement, saying:

“Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for designating Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ today for religious freedom violations. I am so grateful for a president who cares. 

“It is incomprehensible that some 50,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in the last 15 years—murdered, butchered by Islamic extremists. And tragically, these atrocities are also taking place in Sudan and other African countries. Pray for persecuted Christians and their families who are trying to survive.”

The Mamdani Exodus

A poll of the New York City mayoral race released over the weekend found that Zohran Mamdani’s lead had been cut significantly. Mamdani leads Andrew Cuomo by just 6 points—40% to 34%—with Republican Curtis Sliwa taking 24%. The poll also found that in a two-man race, Cuomo would win by eight points—50% to 42%. 

Meanwhile, a separate poll found that if Mamdani wins tomorrow, more than 760,000 New Yorkers are prepared to leave the city. Another 2 million said they would “consider” leaving. 

Halloween Horror 

FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday morning that a planned terrorist attack in Michigan had been thwarted. We now know more about the alleged plot.

Intercepted communications indicated that Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud of Dearborn were planning to slaughter innocent people on Halloween night. Their inspiration was a 2015 attack in Paris, France, by ISIS that killed 137 people. 

Law enforcement officials observed the suspects training at gun ranges and surveilling potential targets. When the men were arrested, police found multiple weapons, body armor, and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition.

This is exactly what the FBI should be doing—not spying on Catholic churches or investigating parents at school board meetings.