Washington, D.C. – Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism, has publicly questioned the conservative credentials of media personalities Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, suggesting their views could align with concerns outlined in the newly implemented National Counterterrorism Strategy. Gorka made these comments during a May 9, 2026, appearance on The Alex Marlow Show, broadcast on Breitbart, sparking a debate over the scope of the federal government's counterterrorism efforts and free speech.
"I’m not sure that Nick Fuentes or Tucker Carlson are conservatives. If you are lauding a Sharia law, if you are saying that there are Muslim states that seem to be better qualitatively than America in terms of freedom and prosperity, I’m not sure that means you’re part of the conservative movement." — Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism
Gorka's remarks came in response to a question from host Alex Marlow regarding right-wing extremism. Rather than focusing on organized violent groups, Gorka directed his attention to Carlson and Fuentes, stating, "I’m not sure that Nick Fuentes or Tucker Carlson are conservatives. If you are lauding Sharia law, if you are saying that there are Muslim states that seem to be better qualitatively than America in terms of freedom and prosperity, I’m not sure that means you’re part of the conservative movement. So if you remove those individuals and you understand that they’re not conservatives, what’s left?"
These comments are set against the backdrop of both Carlson and Fuentes having vocally opposed President Trump's recent military campaign against Iran. Carlson, in an April 2026 BBC interview, asserted that President Trump launched the Iran war "at the behest and then the demand of Israel," deeming the strikes "reprehensible and immoral" and arguing the conflict "doesn’t serve American interests in any conceivable way." He also called the war "the single biggest mistake" of any sitting American president in his lifetime. Fuentes, in turn, posted on social media after the strikes, "NO WAR WITH IRAN. ISRAEL IS DRAGGING US INTO WAR. AMERICA FIRST."
Gorka's specific accusation that Carlson had been "lauding Sharia law" appears to stem from an earlier interview where Carlson recounted a dinner in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During this account, Carlson described being welcomed warmly as a Christian and noted that residents of Saudi Arabia, a country governed under Sharia, expressed admiration for his faith. Journalist Ken Klippenstein, who first reported Gorka’s remarks on May 13, 2026, reviewed Carlson’s original interview and characterized Gorka’s interpretation of those comments as "to put it lightly, ridiculous."
The timing of Gorka's statements is significant, following the unveiling of the White House’s National Counterterrorism Strategy on May 6, 2026. This strategy, which Gorka has described as "my life’s work," is the first of its kind since the Biden administration's 2021 version. It designates "Violent Left-Wing Extremists, including Anarchists and Anti-Fascists" as one of three primary domestic terror categories, alongside narcoterrorist networks and established Islamist organizations. The strategy's stated goal is to "identify terror actors and plots before they happen" and to deploy "law enforcement tools to cripple them operationally before they can maim or kill the innocent."
The operational framework for this strategy is rooted in National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM 7), signed by President Trump in September 2025. This memorandum identifies "anti-Americanism," "anti-capitalism," and "anti-Christianity" as potential indicators that could trigger federal counterterrorism scrutiny. NSPM 7 directs the Justice Department, the FBI, and a restructured network of Joint Terrorism Task Forces to act against individuals holding such views before they manifest in what the document refers to as "violent political acts." The full text of this directive is available on the White House's official website.
President Trump had previously commented on Carlson's political alignment as Carlson's criticism of the Iran conflict escalated. President Trump publicly posted that Carlson was "a broken man" whose "views are the opposite of MAGA," dismissing Carlson and other critics as "low IQ" and politically irrelevant.
In a separate interview with actor and commentator Dean Cain, Gorka commented on what he perceived as a lack of media scrutiny regarding the new strategy. "We are moving so fast, they just can’t keep up with us," he said, calling the limited negative press coverage "delicious." Despite the broad powers outlined in the strategy and NSPM 7, the foreword of the strategy, bearing President Trump’s signature, includes an assurance that these counterterrorism powers "will not be used to target our fellow Americans who simply disagree with us."
As of reporting, the White House has not issued a formal response to Klippenstein’s report concerning Gorka’s characterization of Carlson and Fuentes. The public exchange highlights ongoing tensions within the conservative movement and raises questions about the definition of domestic extremism under the new federal framework.
