Nicholas Joseph Fuentes, mainly referred to as Nick Fuentes, is a 27-year-old political streamer who hosts the American First show on the Rumble video-sharing platform in which he discusses the political news of the day and gives his own take on it.
Fuentes has been described as a far-right advocate who fights and promotes homophobic, misogynistic, white supremacist and mainly antisemitic views against Jewish people. Though he has been accused of these, he has disavowed those accusations and is a self-proclaimed paleo-conservative, Christian nationalist and America First conservative.
Though he denounces these views, there are many quotes that his critics say are otherwise. Quotes such as “Jewish people can be here [in America], but they can’t make our laws … We need a government of Christians … You’re never going to convince me that we need people in government that don’t serve Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Saying that “The white race is the core of America, and we must protect it” also “All I want is revenge against my enemies and a total Aryan victory. I’m like Hitler.”
He also made homophobic quotes referring to homosexuality as “silky” and that “it’s a joke,” and has advocated for overturning Dobbs v. Jackson, which was the landmark court decision in 2015 that made gay marriage legal nationwide. The costliest quote of all is when he said “Your body, my choice.” He posted that on X after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election over Kamala Harris. The quote was clearly a play on words of the famous “My body, my choice” quote, which is a quote used by many pro-choice advocates and supporters.
The reaction to this was costly for Fuentes, as the outrage caused his address to be leaked, where he resided in a Chicago suburb. Where many people protested outside his house, which would lead to an alleged murder attempt. On December 18, 2024, a man, later identified as 24-year-old John Lyons, reportedly armed with a pistol and a crossbow, forced his way into the residence of Fuentes’ neighbors and killed their two dogs. The man was later shot and killed in a shootout with police.
Fuentes allegedly tweeted on his X, “Last night an armed killer made an attempt on my life at my home” and then later said, “The gunman carried a pistol, crossbow and incendiary devices. I believe he intended to kill me. He is now dead. I am OK!”
Fuentes refers to his followers and supporters as Groypers. The term Groypers is believed to have originated from a meme in 4chan around 2015-16, which was a variation of Pepe The Frog. The image and term later became a dog whistle and was co-opted by many alt-right and far-right groups. In 2019, Fuentes would fully embrace the term and meme to be a part of his branding and would call his followers the Groyper Army.
Though Fuentes is a self-proclaimed paleoconservative, he has repeatedly criticized the establishment factions of the Republican Party, mainly the neoconservative faction of the party. “The Republican consensus, the status quo is neoconservatism. You see people like DeSantis and Haley … It’s not 100% America first … insane rhetoric from people like Haley that say when it comes to Israel, we just need to say, ‘What do they want?’ and ‘When do they want it?’ and no questions asked,” he said.
Fuentes implies that their stance is Israel first and undermines their duty to America and that they put a foreign nation above their own. He said that before Trump, the GOP was mainly defined by neoconservatism, not nationalist populism. Trump’s rise, in Fuentes’s view, introduced the “America First” narrative—a divergence from the party’s established ideological center. This term would later be coined for his popular show titled “America First.”
Fuentes used to be a huge advocate of Donald Trump due to his populist anti-immigration and America first nationalist rhetoric. But as of late he has turned on Trump and disavowed him completely. This has led to his clips of criticizing Trump going viral and mainly pushed out by left-wing outlets and outlets that are mainstream outlets such as CNN. He has gotten some sympathy from anti-Trump people on the left. He has said, “He thinks he’s so funny. You’re not funny. You are a joke. … You are a f—ing cornball, OK? … Buyer beware. It’s a shame. And look: I regret ever supporting him. I’m just glad I didn’t support him in ’24,” Fuentes said.
He has also called Trumpism a cult. “At the Trump rallies, they’re yelling trash for Trump, trash for Trump … That was the moment when I realized Trumpism was a cult. … Liberals are right. … It is Frankenstein’s monster. We have created a golem. It is a problem,” Fuentes said.
His other criticisms of Trump that have been praised by left-wing advocates were mainly his criticism of Trump’s support of Israel and the Epstein file situation. Fuentes said, “This isn’t about Jeffrey Epstein anymore; it’s about accountability and transparency. Trump’s actions are making it clear he’s no longer the leader we thought he was.” also a more furious quote stating, “If you’re not on board with the Epstein cover-up, ‘Oh, I don’t want your support. You’re a weakling.”
Fuentes continues to be a very controversial figure with radical views.He views himself as being a radical, and will continue to be a polarizing figure due mainly to his anti-immigration and anti-Israel views, which many view as coded in antisemitism. His approval rating in a poll done by On Point/Red Eagle Politics/SoCal Strategies showed that only 6% of people approved of Fuentes, with 33% of people disapproving of him and 61% of people being unsure or not knowing of him.
Oddly, the two racial groups who have the most support of him are Blacks at 12% and Hispanics at 11%. Though claiming to try to defend white America it’s his worse performing racial demographic group at 3%.
Fuentes continues to stream and can be found on the streaming platform Rumble.
