It took three weeks for President Donald Trump to speak up. In the meantime, Tucker Carlson's chummy interview with white nationalist and outspoken anti-Semite Nick Fuentes was tearing Trump's MAGA crowd apart. And when he finally did speak up, it was to defend Tucker Carlson — and Nick Fuentes.

"We've had some great interviews with Tucker Carlson, but you can't tell him who to interview," Trump told the press this week. "I mean, if he wants to interview Nick Fuentes — I don't know much about him, but if he wants to do it, get the word out, let him. You know, people have to decide. Ultimately, people have to decide."

"I don't know much about him ... " Really. You had dinner with him at Mar-a-Lago. Did he not share with you and Ye his thoughts on Nazis and Jewish conspiracies? "Kanye asked if he could have dinner, and he brought Nick," Trump said. "I didn't know Nick at the time." Now you do.

"Jews are running society, women need to shut the fuck up, Blacks need to be imprisoned for the most part, and we would live in paradise. It's that simple." That simple. That's what Fuentes said on his podcast in March. Is that the word we need to get out? There are not two sides to every question. There are some things people don't have to decide.

The day after Trump went out of his way to defend Carlson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (who Karoline Leavitt tastelessly attacked as having gone "Palestinian") pointed out the silence from so many mainstream Republicans about Fuentes. On X, New York Democrat Schumer posted: "Donald Trump dined with Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago. Now he refuses to condemn Tucker Carlson's appalling interview of Nick Fuentes. Too much of Donald Trump's Republican Party is Nick Fuentes's Republican Party. And they must all be roundly condemned by anyone who wishes to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate."

Not by Donald Trump. "Meeting people, talking to people — like for somebody like Tucker, that's what they do," Trump said. "You know, people are controversial. Some are; some aren't." No. Some people are despicable. And there is no reason to get the word out so people can decide for themselves.

Presidents sometimes have to deal with people they don't like and don't agree with. When, four years ago, U.S. intelligence officials concluded that the Saudi prince had ordered the killing of a Washington Post columnist, the Biden administration held off on punitive sanctions of him for fear that it would harm American interests. I understand that, painfully. I understand the White House meeting and the State Dinner. I don't understand Nick Fuentes.

There is no good reason in the world for Donald Trump to be associating with Nick Fuentes or defending him. There are no national security or economic interests. The only reason to defend Nick Fuentes is to appeal to people who share his racism and anti-Semitism. There is no other explanation. That is what Trump is doing. That's where he clearly thinks his base is.

Donald Trump is willing to tear American universities apart in the name of fighting anti-Semitism, but he won't distance himself from one of the most outspoken anti-Semites participating in our politics. Fuentes already has more than a million followers on X. With Donald Trump's help, he'll have more. Fuentes understood the significance of Trump's support, and he went out of his way to make sure everyone knew the president was on his side. On his own X page, for his million-plus followers, he shared the clip of Trump defending him with a note: "Thank you Mr. President!"

Susan Estrich is a celebrated feminist legal scholar, the first female president of the Harvard Law Review, and the first woman to run a U.S. presidential campaign. She has written eight books.

Reprinted with permission from Creators.