As the president's coalition divides over support for the Jewish state, Ambassador Mike Huckabee finds himself in a precarious position.
Jesus Christ—Mike Huckabee, President Trump's ambassador to Israel, is clear about his position while his MAGA coalition struggles with a growing rift over US support for Israel.
When Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, first traveled to Israel more than 50 years ago at the age of 17, he was enthralled with what he perceived as a trailblazing, resilient democracy striving for independence similar to early America. He believed that as Jews returned to their God-given homeland in the land of the Bible, prophesies were being fulfilled.
It was the first of over a hundred visits to the nation, many of which were part of a tour company he owned and operated that arranged pilgrimages for tens of thousands of Christian evangelicals seeking to deepen their ties to the Holy Land.
In contrast to some who could experience cultural shock, I feel completely at home. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Huckabee, 70, stated, "And I am very comfortable here, and I love it here."
It was the first of over a hundred visits to the nation, many of which were part of a tour company he owned and operated that arranged pilgrimages for tens of thousands of Christian evangelicals seeking to deepen their ties to the Holy Land.
In contrast to some who could experience cultural shock, I feel completely at home. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Huckabee, 70, stated, "And I am very comfortable here, and I love it here."
In late October, Carlson—who, like Huckabee, had hosted his own Fox News program—interviewed white nationalist Nick Fuentes on his podcast and debated Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) regarding America's support for Israel, exposing the split. Carlson attacked Huckabee and several other Republican Israel backers during the interview.
"Christian Zionists—what is that?" Carlson remarked. "I can simply state that I detest them more than anyone else.because, as a Christian, I find it offensive that it is Christian heresy.
At a time when many left-leaning voters have already been disenchanted with Israel due to the high cost of its military actions during the Gaza War, the discussion is casting doubt on the sustainability of American support for Israel. Israel has relied on American assistance to repel Iranian missile and drone assaults and is mostly dependent on the United States for military supplies.
Huckabee is not going to back down.
Huckabee remarked, "I'm very sad for Tucker, who has revealed a level of hatred toward me and other Christians." "I'm not convinced Tucker is the best person to explain what a "true Christian" is or to teach me theology. I'll let God handle that. Tucker ought to, too.
The first vocal evangelical Christian leader to hold the position of U.S. ambassador to Israel is Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and Republican presidential candidate. He stands for a government that has abandoned conventional approaches to the nation, such as acknowledging Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and relocating the American Embassy to Jerusalem during Trump's first term, without establishing clear plans for the future.
An important Republican constituency has been aroused by his selection. Nearly 25% of American adults identify as evangelical Protestants, and according to a post-election survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, white evangelicals were among the Trump ticket's most ardent supporters, with over 85% of them casting ballots in November 2024.
Huckabee's ambassadorship, according to current and former U.S. officials, is partly due to Adelson, who contributed about $100 million to the president's campaign and persuaded Trump to appoint him. A request for comment was not answered by Adelson.
A March Pew Research Center survey found that 72% of white evangelicals have a positive impression of Israel, which is about the same as the 73% approval percentage among Jews. In contrast, only 45% of Catholics and less than half of American adults say they have a positive opinion of Israel.
During recent visits to Israel, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance gave a nod to that significant evangelical constituency. Scripture says, "The God who once lived among His people in this city still calls us."
But while opinions like Carlson's on Israel are becoming more popular, that support is waning. According to a survey conducted this summer by the University of Maryland, while 69% of older evangelical Republicans say they sympathize more with Israelis than with Palestinians in the conflict, just roughly 32% of those in the 18–34 age range concur.
Charlie Kirk interviewed Huckabee in February while he was getting ready for the Senate to appoint him as ambassador. They talked about the decline in American support for Israel, especially among young Christians.
Huckabee stated on the program, "What worries me is that many young people have been raised in churches that kind of gave them a soft shoe on the Bible."
Similar worries are shared by Richard Land, a longstanding president of the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy division who claims to have known Huckabee since the late 1970s.
Land, who is in his late seventies, stated, "There is a generational divide." "Mr. Trump might be the last president who is fervently pro-Israel if this trend continues."
For many evangelicals, Israel holds great spiritual significance. The relationship stems from biblical texts and prophecies that declare Jews to be God's chosen people. Many evangelicals hold that the establishment of a sizable Jewish presence in Israel will hasten the end times, including the coming of Jesus to vanquish evil and establish his earthly kingdom, despite differing interpretations.
According to Land, evangelical thought goes, "If God does not keep his promises to the Jews, how do I know he will keep his promises to me?" "We will be promoting policies that God will bless the United States if we support Israel."
Huckabee attended a Missionary Baptist church while growing up in poverty in a small Arkansas town. Huckabee's first trip to Israel was funded by the rich parent of a young friend so the friend wouldn't have to travel alone. Only a few months before the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when Israel's front line was overrun by an unexpected invasion by Egypt and Syria, the two came in the nation.
He subsequently founded Blue Diamond Travel, a company that took religious pilgrims on similar journeys, as a result of the experience. He has talked about how Americans who went on his tours became supporters of Israel because they shared his passion for the nation.
Huckabee told the Journal, "Christian heritage is built upon a Jewish foundation." "The Christian faith cannot exist without the Jewish foundation."
Huckabee said that before to his appointment as ambassador, he gave his son ownership of Blue Diamond Travel.
Huckabee has been an incredibly fervent supporter of Israel's interests in his role as ambassador. He has visited Israeli settlements in the West Bank on multiple occasions and has long opposed the belief held by many throughout the world that they are unlawful.
"A West Bank does not exist. In 2017, he used the biblical name for the region, saying, "It's Judea and Samaria," to which he claimed Israel had the title deed. "A settlement does not exist. They are cities, neighborhoods, and communities. An occupation does not exist. Additionally, he has questioned the idea of a unique Palestinian identity.
His remarks have angered proponents of a Palestinian state and alarmed several former American officials.
In his interview with the Journal, Huckabee defended all of those remarks. He stated, "It's really a decision for people here to make," in reference to the annexation of the West Bank, which the United States has long opposed.
In the interview, Huckabee stated, "You can't separate who you are, what your values are, what your worldview is, and I don't try to separate mine from who I am." "You know, I don't strive to present my remarks in a sterile manner as though I have no opinions. Of course I do, and I voice those opinions because I believe it is a morally right thing to do.
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