JD Vance still standing by Tucker Carlson despite his praise of Holocaust denier

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently heaped praise on far-right Holocaust-denying historian Darryl Cooper, who appeared for a friendly interview on his podcast. And Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) is still standing by Carlson despite the controversy.

The Daily Beast reported that Vance — who sat down for a pre-taped interview with Carlson on Thursday after Cooper's interview aired — is still not condemning Carlson. He then attacked "guilt-by-association cancel culture" in a statement to Jewish Insider. The Beast's William Vaillancourt noted that Vance has been following Cooper on X (formerly Twitter) since at least Wednesday.

"[Vance] obviously does not share the views of the guest interviewed by Tucker Carlson," a spokesperson for the Ohio senator told the publication, adding: "There are no stronger supporters of our allies in Israel or the Jewish community in America than Senator Vance and President Trump."

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Cooper is known for his assertion that rather than Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, the "chief villain of the Second World War" was actually British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He referred to Jewish people interred in Nazi concentration camps simply as people who simply "ended up dead." X owner Elon Musk initially promoted the interview between Cooper and Carlson in a tweet from his own account, but ultimately deleted it after backlash from both the left and the right.

Carlson referred to Cooper "the best and most honest popular historian in the United States." But Dani Dayan, who leads the Yad Vashem (the world Holocaust remembrance center), called him a "repugnant Holocaust denier." Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York), who represents a contested swing district, condemned the decision to give a "known Holocaust revisionist" like Cooper a large platform to spout his views.

"[D]uring my time in the [New York] State Assembly, I worked with Democrats and Republicans to help pass legislation aimed at ensuring all students in New York received proper education on the Holocaust — something Mr. Cooper clearly never had," Lawler said earlier this week.

Vance made it clear he disagrees with that sentiment, likening the criticism of platforming Cooper to censorship.

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“[Republicans] believe in free speech and debate,” Vance said when a reporter asked him about the controversy during a campaign stop. “This whole idea that has taken hold in the far left of this country, that if you see a bad idea, the way to solve it is to censor it—I think it’s ridiculous.”

The Beast reported that Vance is scheduled to appear alongside Carlson — who got a warm reception at the Republican National Convention — at an upcoming campaign rally in Pennsylvania. A Trump campaign official remarked that the interview with Carlson was "not ideal timing," but added "it is what it is."

Click here to read the Daily Beast's full report (subscription required).

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