Ben Shapiro Stands With Ukraine

Props to Ben Shapiro for spreading facts and logic, and Slava Ukraini!🇺🇸🇺🇦

I never thought I’d type these words, but shout out to Ben Shapiro!

A few weeks ago on the aptly-named The Ben Shapiro Show podcast, Ben Shapiro shared a fairly lengthy interview he conducted with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine.(1)

That’s right, Ben traveled into an active war zone to get the facts about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This matters because Shapiro’s MAGA-friendly peers in right-wing media and politics have not been so cleared-eyed on Ukraine. Instead, many right-wingers have been spreading messages that more closely resemble Russian propaganda than they do actual news.

Not Ben though— he’s decidedly on the right side of history (and reality) here. Over two episodes, Shapiro shared his Zelenskyy interview with his American audience.

Good for Ben! Good for Ukraine! Good for American-Ukrainian relations, and good for American journalism!

The Context

As Ben explains succinctly on his show, Russia invaded Ukraine and started the war several years ago, and Ukraine has been holding strong since then under the courageous leadership of President Zelenskyy who had the option to flee to elsewhere in Europe, but chose to stay.(2)

Meanwhile, here in the U.S., while Democrats remain pro-Ukraine, pro-NATO, and anti-Putin’s Russia, the GOP has taken an alarming anti-Ukraine, anti-NATO, and pro-Putin’s Russia turn in recent years. In 2025, this strange stance has become the norm on the right.(3)

Therefore, it’s commendable that Ben has advocated so consistently and strongly for Ukraine when the rest of the MAGA media sphere has failed to do so and when he faces pressure to not do so.

The Interview

During the interview, Shapiro asks Zelenskyy questions and then sits quietly and attentively as Zelenskyy says his piece, sometimes on topic, sometimes a bit tangential but mostly related to the topic at hand.(4)

The interview gave Zelenskyy the opportunity to address issues that have been brought up in the American media, possibly by pro-Russian sources. In a number of cases, Shapiro asks Zelenskyy, “How would/do you respond to…” teeing Zelenskyy up with an open-ended question to answer exactly as he wants to.(5)

Besides listening, Ben did occasionally nod his head.(6) At one point, when Zelenskyy asks Shapiro if he met with the top Rabbi in Ukraine, Ben cracks a smile and confirms that he did and he enjoyed meeting the rabbi.

Ben was respectful, gracious, and focused on information gathering. At the start and end of the interview, he expressed gratitude to Zelenskyy for meeting and speaking with him, a refreshing contrast to the way others have demanded gratitude from Zelenskyy.

The Coverage

At time of writing, one of the biggest (and only) outlets I saw cover the interview was Newsweek, which put a combative spin on the interview in a way that seemed inaccurate to me.(7)

Shapiro’s own publication, the Daily Wire, went with the headline “Ben Shapiro Confronts Zelensky On Christian Persecution And Conscription In Exclusive Interview,” which is quite the biased spin if you ask me! (8)

Simply posing a question is not so much “confronting” Zelenskyy as it is platforming him! (9) It’s not that there’s anything wrong with confronting politicians, but it’s just a mischaracterization of the exchange.

Ben went to great lengths to platform Zelenskyy and that matters.

The Stakes

Ben Shapiro is a Jewish American. You can tell from watching him he is quite proud of his Judaism and his American identity, which I think is wonderful. Shalom Ben!

As becomes ever more clear, however, not everyone in MAGA world is welcoming of people of Ben’s ethnoreligious identity, nor of people of other marginalized identities. For the next two years or longer, we will be living in MAGA world, and we have no choice but to live in this reality.

As we are all witnessing, the current administration is trying to rewrite U.S. history and redefine what it means to be an American. More specifically, the GOP is attempting to write certain Americans out of our history and our national identity.

I think Ben Shapiro knows that many of his pro-MAGA counterparts, like Tucker Carlson, would likely leave Jewish Americans out in the cold, too.(10) He indicates this on his show and has spoken out against neo-nazis in the MAGA movement before.(11)

The Opening

As he sets the scene of his Ukranian travels, Shapiro mentions that his family has roots in Eastern Europe. He also mentions historian Timothy Snyder’s work on the Holodomor, a Soviet genocide of the Ukrainian people that took place in the 1930s. This reference was quite interesting to me! It suggests that Ben has likely followed what Snyder has said about the current GOP’s weaponization of the word antisemitism which has rendered that term meaningless.(12)

This type of bigotry is what arises when we allow it to, and when we allow politicians to distract us from it, we suffer. I think Ben knows this. In one segment in one of his Zelenskyy-interview episodes, Shapiro talks about a video of Jojo Siwa talking about her/their gender identity.(13) Ben tries to feign outrage and contempt for Siwa. He tries to care, but his heart’s not in it.(14)

I think Ben is concerned about the rise of antisemitism in America, and that makes two of us (and I think many more people too). In another segment, Shapiro covers an antisemitic incident that occurred on Yale University’s campus.(15)

In response, Ben mentions the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a legal basis to defend the rights of Jewish college students. He supposes that the current administration will bring justice to these Jewish Americans. I am not optimistic that will happen. I’m not sure today’s GOP cares about combating actual antisemitism.(16)

Ben acts like he’s unconcerned by the scene, but to me, he seems rattled.

I’d also like to mention that Ben used another show to criticize people giving money to the racist white woman fundraising on saying the n-word.(17) He also has been critical of the acquisition of the Qatari plane and of the tariff regime. In other words, Shapiro has critiqued current U.S. leadership on a number of occasions.(18)

An Olive Branch

Look, Ben, facts may not care about your feelings, but I do.(19)

I imagine you think the left hates you. I acknowledge maybe some do, but I think not as many do as you think do. I don’t. Right now, you’re being an appeaser, feeding the crocodile in hopes he will eat you last.(20) This is not a sustainable strategy, Ben.

MAGA is not your friend. MAGA won’t defend your civil rights and civil liberties. You know who will? Liberals will. Those of us who believe in and who are protected by the Civil Rights Act, i.e., marginalized people, will.

I invite you to join us!

I want you on our side! Frankly, we could use your help, and you could use ours. There are a lot of former Republicans without a political home right now who’ve found common cause with Democrats. You can be one of them! (21)

We need to work together and stand up for one another. Let’s not let the media or the current party in power divide us.

Ben, MAGA thinks you belong in Israel. I think you belong here, in America.

I think you’re as much of an American as I am and more of an American than anyone in MAGA world.

I think America is better when we share it with those we disagree with and are different from, and I think you do too.

A Recommendation

Everyone should go watch the interview. It was quite the newsworthy moment!

It gave me hope. I hope it will do the same for you.

Please share this with a conservative-leaning friend, family member, or neighbor; or maybe, send it to Ben Shapiro and suggest to him that he have me on his show! (22)

Obligatory Disclaimer: all views expressed here are my own personal views and do not represent the views of my employer nor those of the U.S. government.

To Ben Shapiro, thank you for braving a war zone to give a voice and platform to President Zelenskyy and the Ukranian people. Thank you, Ben, for speaking facts to your viewers!

To my readers, thank you for reading!

Side Notes, End Notes, & Tangents

(1) See the interview, which is broken up into two episodes, here:

(2) For a more detailed explainer, check out his podcast, or let me know if you’d like me to provide a better explanation. At present, I’m assuming a level of knowledge about the war in Ukraine here.

(3) Unsurprisingly, most MAGA-friendly media outlets have shown nothing but cowardice and/or blind loyalty on the subject.

(4) He let that man speak! As he should! It’s about time the American people have heard from Zelenskyy, what with the abysmal treatment he received by certain U.S. leaders a few months ago.

(5) I saw a few comments on the podcast that said Zelenskyy was filibustering, which completely missed the point where Ben allowed him to do so on his podcast.

(6) sometimes in seeming agreement, other times in definite agreement, and others still, just in confirmation that he’d processed and understood what Zelenskyy said.

(7) With how many people are talking about all the liberals speaking out overseas, it seems odd to me that Shapiro’s interview has received so little coverage.

(8) I find it interesting that the Daily Wire piece emphasized claims of persecution against Christians. Notably, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, has been the subject of antisemitic Russian misinformation. Historically, far-right actors in the West have fomented antisemitism by making baseless claims of Jewish persecution of Christians, an accusation that goes back to the antisemitic claim that the Jewish people are to be blamed for the death of Christ. It wasn’t until the Second Vatican Council (post WWII and Holocaust) that the Catholic Church declared that not all Jewish people are to be held responsible for this “deicide” charge. I may write a piece on this.

(9) I bring this up given the persistent debate about platforming and de-platforming that has occurred on the left in recent years, a debate which has included questions of platforming Ben Shapiro himself. Well, if you want my two cents, I think we must be able to withstand hearing views we don’t agree with, and the way to win the day is to have better ideas and/or a better way of expressing them.

(10) To be clear— and in particular, for any conservatives reading— antisemitism is a problem that exists on both the left and the right. Subscribe for a future newsletter on the left’s antisemitism problem and how it hurts Jewish Americans and prevents us from more strongly advocating for the people of Gaza, too. In my view, the right’s antisemitism is more prevalent and harmful than the left’s; still, both ought to be repudiated, separately and jointly, especially as they relate to and feed on each other.

(11) I believe it was after a group of white nationalists were filmed, tiki-torch in hand, chanting “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville that Ben called out the neo nazis in his midst in the MAGA movement. Citation: [note to self: insert citation here]

(12) The way MAGA has co-opted the term antisemitism has been and will continue to be much to the harm of Jewish people and to the suppression of all of our civil liberties. Citation: [note to self: insert Timothy Snyder’s video]

(13) I think this segment was in the second linked episode of his show. I’m not sure what pronouns to use, but I believe Siwa expressed she uses she and/or they.

(14) He doesn’t care; to my memory, he says as much. In case this needs said, that’s okay! Ben doesn’t have to care about Jojo Siwa’s pronouns. Respecting a person’s rights means allowing them to be themselves and not forcing your will on them.

(15) In this case, I believe the harrowing scene occurred on Holocaust Remembrance Day, and I believe you can find his segment on it towards the end of the second episode as well. Ben showed a video of the protest where Jewish students were prevented from commemorating the Holocaust, which is fucked up [note to self: rephrase].

(15a) The protest was allegedly pro-Palestine, though if you ask me, I think those kids need to get back in the classroom and pick up a book since they’re not helping the people of Gaza. In fact, such incidents undermine the left’s ability to stand for and with Gaza. Also, antisemitism is bad. Period. We must reject it every time the opportunity presents itself. Rejecting antisemitism on our side costs us nothing. If someone is criticizing the Israeli government, that’s not antisemitic (except when it is), so that’s irrelevant. To have a morally coherent, inclusive movement, we must condemn bigotry of all kinds.

(16) I get no satisfaction from this. No schaudenfreude for me. I’m just stating reality, and pointing out that Ben seems to be aware of this grim reality as well.

(17) See the ADL’s article on the incident here: https://www.adl.org/resources/article/white-supremacists-help-raise-hundreds-thousands-woman-who-hurled-slur-black. I cite this piece since, from my recollection, the ADL has made some…interesting statements in the past few months or maybe years, but from a brief skim, they’re spot on here.

(18) Admittedly, this is usually— but not only— when their actions affect him and what he cares about.

(18a) I disagree with Ben Shapiro on most things and find him frustrating to say the least, yet let me say this: Within the MAGA-friendly media sphere, Shapiro stands out for his willingness to oppose the administration’s policies. Even if only on a select few, that matters; it matters a lot right now!

(19) Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.

(20) Citation: Winston Churchill on Chamberlain’s strategy of appeasement towards the Nazis. We know how that turned out.

(21) I’d like to see the Democratic Party expand to encompass you all, but that’s a tangent for another newsletter. For examples though, see the Bulwark and people like Anne Applebaum and David Frum [note to self: insert links].

(22) Link to contact The Ben Shapiro Show: [note to self: insert links].