Ben Shapiro Slams J.D. Vance for 'Super Glueing Himself' to Tucker Carlson: 'That Is Going to Come Along With a Political and Moral Cost'

Far-right pundit Ben Shapiro slammed Vice President J.D. Vance for his close relationship with media personality Tucker Carlson, warning that continuing to platform him will come with "a political and yes, a moral cost."

The friction stems from Carlson's increasingly controversial content, which critics and media watchdogs note has routinely platformed antisemitic conspiracy theories and Holocaust denial.

As the front-runner for the 2028 Republican nomination, Vance's alignment with Carlson has drawn significant scrutiny from traditional conservative figures who object to foreign policy moral relativism and baseless conspiracy theories.

Speaking on his program, Shapiro expressed deep concern over Vance's ideological direction, noting that Vance's positions on platforms like The Joe Rogan Experience do not "sound very conservative.”

Shapiro has repeatedly accused Vance of abandoning core conservative principles to "humor low-IQ slop" and chase a populist coalition that Shapiro argues is politically unviable.

Shapiro argued that trying to beat Democrats by adopting anti-free market principles or peddling "conspiracy slop" is a failing strategy that compromises core conservative principles.

During a White House press briefing on Thursday, September 3, Vance firmly defended his friendship with Carlson. Vance stated that he would not "play the game where I throw friends under the bus because I have political disagreements with them," pushing back against pressure to condemn Carlson publicly.

This public disagreement highlights a deepening divide within right-wing politics, contrasting traditional, free-market, interventionist conservatives with a more populist, isolationist MAGA wing represented by Carlson and Vance.

Shapiro maintained that a true conservative framework requires believing in a "realist but moral foreign policy" and a meritocracy, both of which Carlson's rhetoric undermines.

Following Vance's interview on "The Joe Rogan Experience," Shapiro erupted on The Ben Shapiro Show, stating that he tuned in and heard "Bernie Sanders’ economics, Barack Obama’s foreign policy, and Ro Khanna’s conspiracy theories," only to realize it was the vice president speaking.

During the episode, Vance claimed that certain Israeli officials were actively manipulating American public opinion to keep regional conflicts going "indefinitely." Shapiro aggressively slammed this rhetoric, accusing Vance of buying into anti-Israel narratives and leftist framing on foreign intervention.

Shapiro took deep offense to Vance's willingness to entertain alternative-media talking points regarding Jeffrey Epstein's alleged ties to high-level intelligence agencies, including Mossad. Shapiro noted that humoring these unverified conspiracy theories is dangerous for someone in the White House.

Shapiro criticized Vance’s alignment with Rogan on corporate offshoring and his attacks on Wall Street, arguing that Vance’s economic populism mimics anti-free-market, democratic socialism rather than traditional conservatism.

Ultimately, Shapiro argues that Vance's strategy is a deeply flawed electoral approach. He presented data claiming that Vance's specific brand of "new Republican populism" appeals to only about 6 percent of the American electorate, warning that legitimizing "grifters and nuts" will permanently fracture the conservative coalition ahead of the 2028 election cycle.

“Maybe Tucker is just such an awesome hang that he wishes to put his own political career on the line for a person who has no problem harming him. Again, put aside the primaries where, again, the vice president is right now the prohibitive favorite. But if you think that the media isn't going to notice that J.D. Vance has superglued himself to Tucker Carlson, you're nuts. And that is going to come along with a political and, yes, a moral cost,” Shapiro said.