Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson stirred controversy Monday after sharply criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show, arguing that the real threats to Western civilization stem from ideologies rooted in group identity — not from any particular race or religion.
Carlson began by challenging the increasingly common instinct, especially on the far left, to blame entire groups for society’s problems.
“There are enemies of Western civilization. Who are these people? Are they the Muslims? Are they the Jews?” Carlson asked rhetorically. “No — they’re not the Muslims, they’re not the Jews, they’re not the blacks, they’re not whatever group you’re blaming.”
Instead, he said the real opposition to Western values comes from “any individual who doesn’t acknowledge the human soul,” and who rejects the idea that rights begin and end with the individual, not with the group.
Carlson argued that Western civilization is rooted in a belief in the dignity of the individual — a principle under attack by a range of modern movements that push tribalism and collective identity over personal responsibility.
Tucker Carlson describes Israeli PM Netanyahu as Western civilization’s “main enemy.”
He says Zionism and other forms of tribalism are “an attack on Western civilization.”
(via Shawn Ryan show) pic.twitter.com/wUPIsg8pzT
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“An attack on Western civilization looks like this: tribalism, identity politics, DEI, whatever — Zionism,” Carlson said. He described these as belief systems that revolve around the idea that some groups are inherently superior to others, something he believes runs contrary to Western and Christian foundations.
He then turned to Netanyahu, who frequently describes Israel as a frontline defender of Western values.
“Netanyahu says, ‘I’m a defender of Western civilization.’ No — you’re its enemy,” Carlson said. “Of course — you’re literally its main enemy.”
Carlson’s criticism centered on what he claimed was Netanyahu’s framing of conflict in terms of inherent qualities of groups.
“He believes and has said out loud that we’re fighting these people because of how they were born, because of their inherent evil,” Carlson argued. “We don’t believe in that. We believe every person is inherently flawed but salvageable because God made every person.”
Carlson compared that worldview to the logic used by history’s worst regimes.
“Why are the Nazis bad? The Nazis are bad because for that exact same reason,” he said — referring to ideologies that reduce people to collective identities rather than individual worth.
Carlson said defending the West fundamentally means defending a single principle:
“The individual has rights which were given to him by God, period.”
“You don’t have to be a Christian to defend that principle,” he noted, adding that many Muslims, Jews, and others share this belief. “It’s not about ‘hate this group, hate that group.’ All of that is anti-Western.”
Later in the interview, Carlson also unloaded on the Republican Party, saying it was becoming “almost to the point where it’s just useless,” echoing sentiments he has voiced for months about GOP leadership drifting away from its voters and from the America First movement.
Carlson’s comments are sure to spark heated debate — but they continue his long-running theme: that Western civilization must be defended by prioritizing individual liberty over ideological tribalism.
[READ MORE: Tucker Carlson Torches GOP Establishment, Says Party Has “Betrayed” Voters]
