Dan Bilzerian, a Florida Republican primary candidate running against Rep. Randy Fine in the 6th House District, has ignited a firestorm with an antisemitic campaign ad that one commentator says would have made the Nazis proud. The video, which has circulated on X and other platforms since August 13, reportedly features imagery celebrating Hitler, horns growing out of Jewish heads, and a depiction of Fine being violently assaulted.
In a column published by American Thinker, Andrea Widburg argues that the Republican Party must loudly and unequivocally excommunicate Bilzerian before Tuesday’s primary. She writes that while parties cannot legally prevent someone from claiming allegiance, they can and must make clear that certain values are so inconsistent with the party that the person is effectively outside the fold.
Widburg does not mince words about Bilzerian, describing him as an “attention whore” who has long peddled fringe antisemitic conspiracy theories. She notes that Bilzerian is of Armenian descent, yet directs his venom at Jews, not at Turks or Muslims, which she finds especially telling.
Who is Dan Bilzerian?
Bilzerian was born into a wealthy family, served in the Navy, and made a name for himself as a poker player and social media personality. His business interests span alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine. Widburg draws a direct comparison to far-right provocateur Nick Fuentes, calling Bilzerian a man who “hates Donald Trump and Jews.”
Wikipedia’s rundown on Bilzerian, which Widburg cites approvingly, paints a deeply troubling picture. He has falsely claimed that Jewish people perpetrated the Holodomor, assassinated John F. Kennedy and Muammar Gaddafi, created “transgender nonsense,” and orchestrated the September 11 attacks and the Iraq War. In a 2024 interview with Piers Morgan, he argued that Judaism “promotes supremacy and rape,” and that “most of the problems today are caused by Jewish supremacy.” He has also promoted Holocaust denial, saying he would bet his entire net worth that fewer than six million Jews died in the Holocaust.
Given that history, the new campaign ad is perhaps not surprising, but it is still shocking in its audacity. Widburg shares a tweet from Fine himself, who wrote: “It is unheard of to share an opponents television commercial. But I want you to watch it. Every second. Celebrating Hitler. Having horns grow out of the heads of Jews. Showing me violently assaulted.”
Who has spoken out — and who hasn’t
The ad has drawn sharp rebukes from a handful of prominent Republicans. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called Bilzerian a “brazen Nazi” who “revels in Jew hate,” concluding: “This evil has no place in the Republican Party.” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) called the video “disgusting” and demanded that “every single Republican needs to condemn this evil,” later telling Jewish Insider that the party must confront antisemitism within its own ranks.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) called the attack “vile” and endorsed Fine explicitly. Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and former Republican governor, said the material was “possibly the most disgusting” political messaging he had ever seen. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York) also called the video “vile.”
Fine himself has framed Tuesday’s primary as an ideological test, asking voters to choose between “embracing the kind of Nazism that led to the Holocaust” and repudiating the filth. Republicans Overseas Israel broke its usual policy of neutrality in primaries to endorse Fine, with chairman Marc Zell condemning the ad. Christians United for Israel has circulated a Combat Antisemitism Movement study finding that roughly one-third of Bilzerian’s campaign posts were classified as antisemitic.
However, Widburg notes that as of Friday, with the primary looming, there has been silence from Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Byron Donalds, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and the Republican Party of Florida. She argues that this silence is damning.
What is at stake
Widburg contends that if the GOP does not excommunicate Bilzerian, it will “irreparably damage the Republican brand.” She draws a sharp contrast with the Democratic Party, which she criticizes for failing to distance itself from communists, racists, antisemites, and other fringe elements. “Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” she writes. If Republicans stay silent, she argues, they will be indistinguishable from Democrats in embracing “flagrant, Nazi-style antisemitism.”
The columnist invokes a stark historical parallel: “In 1945, America defeated Hitler and, in 2026, America will have resurrected him.” That may be rhetorical overreach, but it captures the stakes as she sees them. The primary is Tuesday, and the question is whether the GOP’s leadership will speak before then.
As Widburg puts it, the party leadership should be thinking: “this Big Tent never be big enough for people like Bilzerian, and we had better make that very clear, very fast.” But so far, nothing. Just silence.
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/the-whole-gop-must-loudly-excommunicate-florida-primary-candidate-dan-bilzerian/