Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro is fighting a major battle within the MAGA movement. He is calling out fellow media personalities for supporting antisemitism and conspiracy theories while still backing President Trump in the elections. This creates an interesting situation because Shapiro criticizes the current administration’s ethical problems but still supports the president over other options.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Shapiro speaks openly about President Trump’s moral and financial issues. He admits that the President is “financially corrupt and morally wanting.” Shapiro pointed to recent reports showing the Trump family has made around $4 billion since 2024, calling this deeply concerning. He said, “If the name were Biden instead of Trump, people would be screaming bloody murder.”
He believes these financial issues are corrupt and hurt the president’s overall agenda. When asked if the Justice Department would charge the family, Shapiro laughed and suggested the President would “likely pardon himself and his children.” This harsh view shows the political reality of the situation.
Shapiro’s battle against conspiracy theories in conservative circles
The main conflict involves Shapiro fighting against other conservative figures who promote dangerous ideas. He criticized Tucker Carlson’s politics as “conspiratorial populism,” connecting his views to Russian nationalist Alexander Dugin’s philosophies. Carlson often brings on guests who push conspiracy theories, which Shapiro finds troubling because these views often target Jews.
Shapiro explained why his company fired Candace Owens in 2023. While they hired her as a conservative who made controversial statements, she started “spouting antisemitic conspiracy theories” and making strange claims, like saying Emmanuel Macron’s wife is actually a man. Shapiro said this type of conspiracy thinking has taken over large parts of the conservative movement, forcing him to speak out.
He also criticized President Trump’s dinner with Nick Fuentes, a known Nazi apologist. Shapiro called it a “pretty awful combination” and condemned the behavior, though he wasn’t surprised by the President’s impulsive decisions. The President has remained active on various domestic matters, recently addressing Savannah Guthrie’s mother’s disappearance by sending federal law enforcement to help.
Despite thinking the President is corrupt and meets with awful people, Shapiro continues supporting him. He explained his choices in the 2020 and 2024 elections were simply “binary choices” against figures like Kamala Harris. He believes President Trump’s views match a “1975 conservative” who wants a strong America, and he likes many things the President did during his first term.
Shapiro feels the institutional “guardrails” have mostly held during this administration, despite concerns from the left. He argues President Trump didn’t kill American politics but instead “stumbled on the prone body of American politics and said, ‘This is a dead body.'”
He sees the President as diagnosing the decay rather than causing it, arguing both left and right violate political norms. Meanwhile, the administration faces foreign policy challenges, including Xi Jinping’s warning about Taiwan arms supplies.
Shapiro supports President Trump as the lesser of two evils but is looking for alternatives. He mentioned several leaders he prefers, including Governor Ron DeSantis, former Governor Glenn Youngkin, and Senator Ted Cruz, hoping for a future leader who can advance his agenda without constant moral problems.
Published: Feb 7, 2026 02:45 pm