Vivek Ramaswamy Accused of Spreading Antisemitic Trope on Social Media
Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate and current Fox Nation host, recently drew criticism for promoting an antisemitic trope on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to his 2.6 million followers. The controversy began when philanthropist Alex Soros shared a photo with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz. Ramaswamy reposted the image, commenting, “If you squint, you can see the strings on the marionette.”
Alex Soros is the son of George Soros, a philanthropist known for funding progressive and pro-democracy initiatives. Media Matters pointed out that the “puppet master” imagery is a classic antisemitic trope often used by right-wing media and Fox hosts to disparage George Soros. This trope is so widely recognized as antisemitic that Fox News deleted social-media posts featuring a cartoon that portrayed Soros as a “puppet master” three years ago after facing backlash.
Despite this, MAGA activists continue to use such imagery. Last year, Ramaswamy, in a podcast, commented on receiving a scholarship funded by George Soros’s late brother Paul, stating, “I think the big question that comes up is who’s the bogey man pulling the strings. I have no tie to George Soros other than criticizing him.” He later claimed ignorance of the podcast host’s history of propagating antisemitic tropes.
Donald Trump has also utilized the “puppet master” trope. Last year, he sent a fundraising email calling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg a “bought-and-paid-for Soros prosecutor” executing his “puppet master’s plot to put me in JAIL for committing NO CRIME.”
Trump and other right-wing figures admire Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has used antisemitic rhetoric to force a Soros-funded university out of Hungary and maintains power by targeting Alex Soros. Orbán’s authoritarian tactics have made him a model for U.S. right-wing leaders.
Despite criticizing antisemitism as “morally outrageous,” Ramaswamy has participated in the MAGA movement’s spread of antisemitic conspiracy theories. The BBC describes the “great replacement” theory, linked to figures like Trump and Carlson, as “the far-right idea that a cabal of people—often named as ‘globalists,’ ‘elites,’ or Jews—is deliberately plotting to change the demographic of Western countries.”
According to Right Wing Watch, this theory has motivated mass killings in New Zealand, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and El Paso. Prominent right-wing pundits, like Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, continue to promote such rhetoric.
The MAGA movement’s antisemitic tendencies are also evident in the actions of Candace Owens, who has espoused ideas similar to those of white nationalists like Fuentes. Despite her controversial views, Ramaswamy urged BuzzFeed to hire her after she parted ways with the Daily Wire.
Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson recently hosted Darryl Cooper, a Holocaust revisionist, on his podcast. Cooper later posted on social media that Hitler had sought an “acceptable solution to the Jewish problem.”
Yair Rosenberg of The Atlantic highlighted this rise of antisemitism in the Republican coalition, noting the MAGA movement’s populism aligns with longstanding antisemitic stereotypes. Rosenberg quoted a conservative columnist who expressed concern that Trump’s actions could empower antisemites politically.
Religious-right groups also contribute to the marginalization of American Jews by labeling Soros’s progressive initiatives as “evil.” A letter circulated among right-wing evangelicals depicted Soros as a global schemer aiming to weaken American civil society.
Since his 2016 campaign, Trump’s rhetoric has energized white nationalists and inflamed antisemitism on the right. He recently warned American Jews that he would blame them if he loses the election, further stoking antisemitic sentiments within his base.
