MAGA pundit educated after wondering aloud how 'the right' devolved into 'vile' rhetoric

Indian-American right-wing political commentator, filmmaker and author Dinesh D'Souza has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, who pardoned him in 2018 for a campaign finance felony. But now, he appears perplexed about the origins of anti-Indian rhetoric coming from the far-right.

D'Souza has consistently been a vocal supporter of Trump and has produced books and films promoting his political agenda. In late 2024, D'Souza walked back a central claim of his 2022 film 2000 Mules and issued an apology to a man he had accused of illegal ballot harvesting.

D’Souza, responded to a post on X, wrote, “America is also [our] home. W[e] live here, under laws that [we] made. Didn’t Biden and the Democrats ignore those laws, tear down the walls and let millions of home invaders in? Where were you when all that was happening?”

D'Souza received a reply from one user that was filled with anti-Indian racism.

"You’re Indian, you made nothing, you are nothing, and devoid of creation. Your ilk has been a race of slaves for hundreds of years, and even after being given a chance, you prove what worth you are, devoid of actual thought. Your existence causes me disgust," wrote the account.

D'Souza shared that reply with his own, saying, "In a career spanning 40 years, I have never encountered this type of rhetoric. The [r]ight never used to talk like this. So who on our side has legitimized this type of vile degradation? It’s a question worth thinking about."

Bloomberg columnist Matthew Ygleisias shared the post and added, "I never thought the leopards would eat my face."

D'Souza took to replying to many commenters on his own thread, including one who said, "Dinesh, You’ve quite displayed quite a bit of contempt for Indian people in the past. I wonder who sowed the seeds for this, not a difficult question to answer?"

D'Souza replied, "When have I done this? Can you give a specific example?"

Another replied, "I'm sure you will find a way to blame Tucker," referring to former Fox host Tucker Carlson, to which D'Souza replied, "Not at all, he has nothing to do with this." D'Souza added that he only blames Carlson for "his obsessive anti-Israel stance which hurts Trump and MAGA and helps radical Islam."

While not one commenter in D'Souza's thread pointed out that lack of irony, X account Columbia University adjunct professor Ted Perlmutter replied to Iglesisas, saying, "That is really rich coming from a man who was once a prominent Republican policy operative and has been descending into conspiracy theories and unfounded attacks for years. I think Dinesh should run for President on the I did not know the leopards would eat my face party."