Dan Bilzerian, the mega-influencer who’s unfold conspiracy theories about Jews and mentioned he needs to “kill Israelis,” is working for Congress.
Bilzerian registered this week to run within the Republican major in opposition to the Jewish far-right firebrand Rep. Randy High-quality in Florida’s sixth district. Bilzerian initially gained fame for his Instagram photographs alongside bikini-clad girls however has since grow to be a vocal critic of Israel and Jews — and has repeatedly referred to as High-quality a “fats Jew” within the lead-up to his marketing campaign launch.
In a TMZ interview after Bilzerian introduced his candidacy, the outlet’s Jewish founder, Harvey Levin, questioned the influencer on whether or not his use of the phrase “fats Jew” was antisemitic.
“[Fine] actually talks about how Muslims are decrease than canine, so, is that Islamophobic?” Bilzerian shot again. High-quality drew bipartisan criticism for his feedback earlier this 12 months.
“Sure,” TMZ’s Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere responded. (Bilzerian added that High-quality “tweets that, and he’s a senator,” although High-quality is definitely a member of the U.S. Home of Representatives who was previously a state senator.)
Bilzerian responded to a follow-up query by denying that he’s antisemitic — and questioning the time period “antisemitism” altogether, saying it’s been “hijacked to solely speak about Jews.”
“No, I’m not antisemitic. I believe that that’s form of a made-up time period, I believe the Palestinians are the actual Semites,” Bilzerian mentioned.
“Was Hitler antisemitic?” Levin requested.
Bilzerian didn’t say.
“Like I mentioned, the time period is targeted solely on Jews, however precise Semites are the Arabs,” he answered. “And Palestinians are Semites as properly. They really have extra DNA lineage to that area than any of the Japanese European Ashkenazi Jews which have taken it from them.”
The feedback had been nothing new for Bilzerian, who has 30 million followers on Instagram and a couple of million on X. He frequently tweets opinions like “Jewish supremacy is the best menace to the world as we speak,” questions the accuracy of the statistic that 6 million Jews died within the Holocaust, and reposts clips of avowed antisemite Nick Fuentes.
However now, Bilzerian’s foray into electoral politics may function a check of the recognition of an rising, anti-Israel faction inside the Republican occasion headlined by figures like Tucker Carlson and Fuentes, who’ve espoused conspiracy theories about Jews.
These figures’ opposition to the battle in Iran have sped up their dissent from President Donald Trump. In the course of the TMZ interview, Bilzerian mentioned High-quality ought to be tried for treason for placing “Israel earlier than America,” and likewise criticized Trump for being “Israel first.” He has tweeted that Trump “must be impeached.”
(Sarcastically, High-quality launched a invoice that may ban twin residents from serving in Congress, and Bilzerian is a twin American-Armenian citizen.)
Bilzerian will not be the one anti-Israel Republican challenger to High-quality, a staunch Israel supporter who’s been backed by AIPAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition.
“I admire @DanBilzerian‘s zeal to take @RepFine out of Congress. I’ve been working tirelessly for one 12 months on the identical purpose,” wrote Aaron Baker, who’s been endorsed by the Anti-Zionist America PAC. “I might nonetheless additionally admire if Dan ran for FL-16 a lot nearer to the place he grew up. Make @AIPAC spend $ defending extra seats. Divide and conquer.” FL-16’s present consultant, Vern Buchanan, was endorsed by AIPAC in 2024.
However Bilzerian, along with his 29.6 million followers on Instagram and a couple of.1 million on X, brings a bigger nationwide viewers to the congressional major.
“I’d by no means heard of this man earlier than, till a few days in the past, however having watched your interview, it’s clear that he merely doesn’t like Jews. In America you’re allowed to do this,” High-quality mentioned on a TMZ look following Bilzerian’s. However, he continued, “I don’t assume it’s going to work out to grow to be a congressman, having that perspective.”
Bilzerian gained lots of his followers when he was the “king of Instagram,” posting photographs of himself surrounded by scantily clad girls, sports activities automobiles and with massive weapons. In June 2015, Bilzerian mentioned he can be working for president, although by December he’d gotten behind the candidacy of Trump.
Earlier than that, he’d served 4 years within the U.S. Navy beginning in 1999, and dropped out of the College of Florida to play skilled poker. His father, Paul Bilzerian, is a businessman who, as a company takeover specialist, was sentenced to 4 years in jail for federal crimes together with fraud and legal conspiracy.
Within the months after Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault and the following battle in Gaza, Bilzerian’s social media presence started taking its present form of focusing predominantly on Israel and, ultimately, Jews.
“Do you assume the Israeli assaults on Gaza are justified or f–ked up?” Bilzerian requested his followers on Nov. 6, 2023. By 2024, the occasional surveys he took of his followers grew to become pointedly targeted on Jews.
“Who causes the vast majority of the worlds issues,” he requested, with customers overwhelmingly voting for the multiple-choice possibility “16 million Jews.”
In January 2025, Bilzerian requested his followers whether or not Hitler was a “good individual,” a “horrible individual,” or in the event that they didn’t know. A 3rd of the 178,000 voters mentioned Hitler was a “good individual,” and one other 23% mentioned they didn’t know.
Bilzerian laid out his views on Jewish folks in a 2024 interview with conservative commentator Patrick Guess-David, throughout which he mentioned Jews “knew about 9/11” and “had JFK assassinated.”
Later that 12 months, conservative media character Piers Morgan requested Bilzerian what number of Jews he believed died within the Holocaust.
“I don’t know, however I might guess my total web price that it was underneath 6 million,” Bilzerian mentioned.
In response to FEC filings, Bilzerian’s marketing campaign treasurer is Patrick Krason. Krason was additionally the treasurer for the short-lived presidential marketing campaign of Ye, previously referred to as Kanye West, one other public determine who’s unfold conspiracy theories about Jews.
Bilzerian has promoted the “Nice Alternative” conspiracy idea, claiming that Jews management the media and are utilizing that place to push an “anti-white agenda” and change whites with non-white immigrants.
“It began with the jewish owned information stations telling us ‘white supremacy is the best menace to America,’” Bilzerian wrote final 12 months. “Whites had been changed in motion pictures & streaming networks. Then the Jewish exec run Blackrock pressured DEI on all main corps.”
Bilzerian usually cites passages from the Talmud to make claims about Jewish beliefs, corresponding to that Jews approve of stealing and raping so long as the crimes are dedicated in opposition to non-Jews. Different figures like Candace Owens have equally taken passages from the Talmud, however rabbis have criticized these figures for utilizing quotes which can be mistranslated and sometimes taken out of context from the textual content, which incorporates centuries of rabbinic debates and isn’t a proper code of legal guidelines.
Throughout a stream with the influencer Sneako, who has additionally unfold antisemitic conspiracy theories, Bilzerian mentioned he helps “exterminating Israel” and that he “would join tomorrow and go f—king put boots on the bottom and go f—king kill Israelis.”
“Give me a rifle and ship me the f–ok over there,” he mentioned, including, “I actually imagine that almost all of that nation is evil.”
On Morgan’s present, Bilzerian mentioned Judaism innately promotes “Jewish supremacy,” and pointed to the State of Israel as being the results of that ideology.
“Israel is a manifestation of that faith,” he mentioned. “And I believe that faith is horrible.”
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