Even the Big Tent Runs Out of Room

By Joseph Catena

The late great Lee Atwater, former Republican National Committee chairman, was famously quoted in 1989 as saying the GOP is “a big tent.” He alluded to the fact that the Republican party had room for those with divergent views, especially on divisive issues like abortion. Atwater recognized that the party needed to appeal to the masses even if there were disagreements along the way. His basic view was there is more that unites us than divides us.

Atwater, who died two years later from a brain tumor at the age of 40, was considered a master tactician, even to the point of ruthlessness. A renegade conservative, he thirsted for victory and did everything possible to win. It is a safe bet that he would approve of today’s Republican party. Donald Trump has cobbled together a coalition of “America First” patriots, pro-business entrepreneurs, union workers, churchgoers, Jews, young men, and more minorities than ever before. He even has homosexuals (namely Scott Bessent and Ric Grenell) in high-profile cabinet positions – all of this while preaching basic conservatism. Truthfully, the president is a strong, right-of-center pragmatist. And his big tent had enough room for 77.3 million people to cram in.

But even a big tent – a big beautiful tent in Trumpese – needs to put a “closed” sign up to certain people who want to join. A few may also need to get tossed, due to fire codes of course.

It is time to put Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes on notice: “Get the hell out and get your own tent! You don’t belong in this one.”

Antisemitism has eroded the Democrat party. This has been evidenced over and over by the pro-Palestinian, “From the river to the sea” lunatics. There are so many to choose from with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and all dregs affiliated with the Squad at the top of the list. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were complicit with their silence or nonsensical doubletalk. By and large, the Dems just aren’t Israel-friendly anymore. Even Jewish Democrats, particularly New York Sen. Chuck Schumer – the biggest disgrace of all, were too scared to give a finger wagging to radical party members.

Republicans need not join this fracas.

Carlson and Owens have taken a turn to the dark side. They can’t seem to hide their disdain for Israel. Tucker is definitely more polished and folksy when he spews his views, but when is it time to disavow him altogether? Once a favorite among the Right, Carlson has drifted into a new and dangerous atmosphere. Sadly, he seems to be relishing it. Owens appears to be voluntarily self-deporting. Her vicious antisemitism is overshadowed only by her conspiratorial lunacy. Her assertion that Brigitte Macron, wife of President Emmanuel Macron of France, was born a man has landed her in a horrific defamation lawsuit.

Nick Fuentes is the most dangerous. GOP bouncers must grab him on each side and escort him to the exit. Then, they should throw him – literally throw him – out. Only 27, Fuentes has amassed a following of more than 1 million on his X account, many of them young men filled with testosterone. When he was infamously interviewed by Carlson, Tucker couldn’t have been softer and more accommodating. Carlson was criticized by many on the Right for giving him a forum to begin with. Those of us who believe in the First Amendment hoped it would have been a spirited discussion with Carlson going on offense as he did with Ted Cruz. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a sappy fireside chat. White wine spritzer, anyone? Fuentes was never challenged, not even once.

Thankfully, Piers Morgan did. It was on his podcast, Piers Morgan Uncensored, that Fuentes’ hideous rhetoric was repudiated, and he was pressed repeatedly.

The glib guest freely admitted he was a racist. “Blacks need to be imprisoned, for the most part,” he quipped. His misogynistic views on women were also beyond the pale. He emphasized they should not be allowed to vote, should stay home and not work, and they are annoying to be around.

What was most alarming was when he touted Adolf Hitler as “very f***ing cool…and I’m tired of pretending he’s not.” This is after acknowledging that the Fuhrer was responsible for exterminating 6 million or possibly more Jews during the Holocaust.

Morgan would have none of it, and by the end of the interview, unlike Carlson, he remained a dignified political commentator and kept his respectability. Conversely, Fuentes furthered his status as an ignorant twit, the type who stirred up the playground and watched everyone go at it while he got his cheap jollies from the chaos. He came off as the wise-ass child in need of a good “talking to” with Daddy behind closed doors in the woodshed out back. It is impossible to take him seriously, nor is it possible to have even a modicum of respect for him. He is a complete waste of time.

Furthermore, Republicans have far too much to fight for in 2026 with the mid-term elections. They need to craft a cohesive message, as Trump did in 2024, on the economy. It is also imperative to reiterate the many victories and successes in 2025, and they must put forth a strong healthcare alternative to the toxic Obamacare that Americans have been stuck with for far too long. Moreover, the GOP must justify the One Big Beautiful Bill (which not one Democrat voted for) and convince the voters to stay the course and ride with them to continue President Trump’s successful agenda. Distractions like Carlson, Owens, and Fuentes must be avoided and repudiated.

Perhaps they can be directed to the other tent, the one with the donkey on the front and the holes in the roof. They’ll fit in just fine.