In West Palm Beach, Florida, President Donald Trump addressed growing concerns on Sunday regarding a recent interview conducted by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson with a far-right activist notorious for his antisemitic views. This controversial interview has stirred divisions within the GOP.

Trump stood by Carlson, highlighting the quality of interviews Carlson has conducted in the past. He expressed that if Carlson chose to interview Nick Fuentes—a figure whose supporters are committed to preserving what they perceive as America’s white, Christian identity—it should ultimately be left for the public to judge.

The interview, which aired on Carlson’s podcast last month, sparked significant backlash within conservative circles. The Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank, became a focal point of contention. While its president initially defended Carlson’s decision to feature Fuentes, the move was met with internal uproar, prompting a subsequent denouncement of Fuentes’ ideologies by Heritage President Kevin Roberts.

Speaking to reporters before returning to Washington after his Florida weekend, Trump emphasized that Carlson’s autonomy in choosing interview subjects should be respected. “You can’t tell him who to interview,” Trump remarked. He further noted, “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. People have to decide.”

“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,” Trump said. “People have to decide.”

Trump a few minutes later added, “Meeting people, talking to people for somebody like Tucker — that’s what they do. You know, people are controversial.”

The president then said: “I’m not controversial, so I like it that way.”

It’s not the first time Trump has been asked about Fuentes. Three years ago, he hosted Fuentes at a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort, along with the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

Trump at the time said he had not previously met Fuentes and “knew nothing about” him.

Fuentes’ visit to Trump’s estate was condemned by numerous Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who said it was wrong for Trump “to give a white nationalist, an antisemite and Holocaust denier, a seat at the table.”

Trump said Sunday that he didn’t know Fuentes at the time and that he didn’t know he was coming with Ye.

Trump’s defense of Carlson’s interview comes as he has used his second-term administration to crack down on colleges and universities over what his administration claims is a tolerance of antisemitic views during protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

Carlson has been critical of U.S. support for Israel in that war and has come under fire for his own far-right views, including the white-supremacist theory that says whites are being “replaced” by people of color.

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Price reported from Washington.