Ben Shapiro called out Tucker Carlson as a threat to conservatism in a Wednesday afternoon speech at the Heritage Foundation, insisting the movement must enforce “ideological borders” to protect its principles.
At the event promoting Shapiro’s new book, Lions & Scavengers: The True Story of America, the Daily Wire Editor Emeritus argued that conservatism without clear boundaries risks being co-opted by voices who are opposed to core conservative principles.
“The conservative movement requires a border,” Shapiro said. “A conservative movement without a border is no conservative movement. We are a welcoming movement, but those who seek to undermine the character of conservatism must never be granted legitimacy as voices of our movement.”
Shapiro’s comments came weeks after the Heritage Foundation defended Carlson’s interview with self-proclaimed Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin admirer, Nick Fuentes. At the time, the think-tank’s president Kevin Roberts slammed the “venomous coalition” that was trying to cancel Carlson for having the conversation.
.@benshapiro joins Heritage President @KevinRobertsTX live for remarks and in-depth discussion of his New York Times bestseller, Lions and Scavengers.
Together, they examine the cultural, political, and moral challenges shaping the nation.
Watch now ⬇️ https://t.co/sVBFKn3Stm
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) December 17, 2025
Roberts later said he made a “mistake” with his initial speech defending Carlson, and that the term “venomous coalition” was a “terrible choice of words.”
Shapiro said that Heritage must play the role of “ideological border control” to keep the movement aligned with its mission statement: “Heritage’s mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.”
Shapiro went on to describe why he believes Carlson is an “opponent of conservatism,” an “outsider masquerading as an insider” who is “destroying the character of the conservative movement in the process.” He examined how Carlson’s positions measure up against the Heritage Foundation’s mission statement.
According to Shapiro, Carlson opposes the free market, citing his stance against self-driving trucks, high-interest credit cards, and mergers that result in layoffs, and has labeled venture capitalists “vulture capitalists.”
“It is why he has praised left-wing figures ranging from Elizabeth Warren to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Zohran Mamdani,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro criticized Carlson for rejecting limited government, accusing Carlson of telling his audience the United States is controlled by a conspiratorial elite and praising feudalism over the Constitution. Shapiro argued that true conservatism defends the Founders’ system of checks and balances and federalism.
“To Tucker Carlson, the Constitution is a mere ruse, a sham. Instead, Carlson promotes a conspiracy theory by which the American people have lost total control of their lives and have no ability to shape policy,” Shapiro said.
On the principle of national defense, Shapiro argued that Carlson abandoned the “peace through strength” approach in favor of one that excuses or rationalizes hostile regimes such as Russia, China, Iran, and Venezuela, citing his soft or sympathetic interviews, his downplaying of adversaries’ aggression, and his repeated criticism of the United States and its allies.
Shapiro said that Tucker treats Qatar as “America’s foremost ally in the Middle East, dismissing its financial support for terrorist groups like Hamas, ties with Iran, and anti-American propaganda networks like Al-Jazeera.”
“Carlson just announced he is buying a house in Qatar, as a show of American-ness. Which is strange, since Qatar does not allow public displays of Christianity by churches, and currently holds tens of thousands of people from foreign nations in slave labor conditions,” Shapiro added.
Shapiro went on to make the case that Carlson opposes traditional American values, arguing that while he may agree on issues like same-sex marriage and transgenderism, he consistently prioritizes speculation, conspiracy theories, and uncritical promotion of figures like Alex Jones, Andrew Tate, and Nick Fuentes over truth and moral integrity.
“Truth is simply not Carlson’s priority. He likes speculation; he likes conspiratorial question-asking. But evidence and truth are not of value to Tucker Carlson,” Shapiro said. “And so Tucker has trafficked in nearly every conspiracy theory under the sun.”
Shapiro slammed Tucker for accusing the Trump administration of “covering up a Mossad-run child sex trafficking ring run by Jeffrey Epstein,” adding that Carlson is a “coward” for not mentioning Trump directly while making such allegations.
Shapiro has a long relationship with the Heritage Foundation, beginning when he was just a teenager, when Town Hall — which was at the time associated with Heritage — published his column.
