Just how serious of an antisemitism problem does the American right have — and what, if anything, should they do about it?

For well over a year, some conservative elites have quietly worried about the trends they were seeing among influencers and young rightists who seem increasingly enamored of conspiracy theories involving Jews — the latest of which involves the death of Charlie Kirk.

Then last week, Politico reported on group chats of Young Republican leaders, in which participants called an internal rival a “fat stinky Jew” and made detailed jokes about how they’d send other internal rivals “to the gas chamber.” In response to a claim that one subgroup was pledging to vote for “the most right wing person,” one participant wrote back: “Great. I love Hitler.”

The group chat comments kick-started an impassioned, days-long public debate among right-wingers. The debate wasn’t really about the comments themselves, but their seeming confirmation of a trend that had long been whispered about — the increasing normalization of blatant bigotry, especially antisemitism — among the young right. “The group chat exposé,” conservative activist James Lindsay posted on X, “is the tip of a very nasty iceberg.”

Critics argued that leading right-wing figures had become too willing to look the other way about antisemitic rhetoric, beliefs, and “joking-or-am-I?” Nazi sympathy.

“If you’re not calling out the bad actors you’re effectively covering for them,” Seth Dillon, founder of the conservative satire site the Babylon Bee posted on X. He added: “Everyone thinks I’m talking about the leaked chat. This conversation is much, much bigger than the leaked chat.”

Others instead reacted by closing ranks and denying any problem. Vice President JD Vance said he refused to “join the pearl clutching” over a “college group chat,” inaccurately calling the participants “kids” and “young boys.” This matches Vance’s successful push to rehire a DOGE staffer briefly fired for posting about things such as “normalize Indian hate.” To Vance, what these people say is irrelevant — what matters is that they’re part of his team.

Commentator Matt Walsh agreed, saying, “The Right doesn’t stick together. That’s our biggest problem by far. Conservatives are quick to denounce each other, jump on dogpiles, disavow, attack their allies.” What was truly important, he said, was to remain united against the left.

But united with whom, exactly? Is anyone who hates the left welcome on the modern right — even if they also hate Jews? Or should a line be drawn against extremists — and, if so, how and where exactly should it be drawn?

“What a lot of people are finally coming around to understanding,” conservative commentator Dave Reaboi wrote, “is........

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