Rod Dreher Says Friendship With Vance Ended After Warning on ‘Groyperism’

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA (VINnews)-Conservative author Rod Dreher said Monday that his longtime friendship with Vice President JD Vance has ended after he privately urged Vance last fall to draw a firm line against “groyperism” and rising antisemitic rhetoric on the right.

In an interview on “The Jeremy Boreing Show,” Dreher described visiting Vance and pressing him to firmly oppose the influence of far-right figures associated with livestreamer Nick Fuentes and his followers, known as groypers. Dreher said Vance’s response left him disappointed and questioning the vice president’s willingness to confront fringe elements within conservative circles.

“I don’t think we’re friends anymore; he cut me off,” Dreher said, according to clips and summaries of the interview circulating online.

Dreher, who lives in Hungary and has written extensively about cultural and political threats, has previously warned that groyper ideas and antisemitism have gained traction among some younger conservative staffers in Washington. He has argued that Vance is uniquely positioned to push back against the trend but has not done so forcefully enough.

The comments come amid broader debates on the right about the influence of Fuentes, who has promoted antisemitic and white nationalist views, and related rhetoric. Dreher is working on a forthcoming book titled “Weimar America,” in which he draws parallels between current U.S. cultural and political instability and the conditions of 1920s Germany.

Vance’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Dreher’s account of their meeting or the status of their relationship.

Dreher had been an early supporter of Vance, helping promote his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” and maintaining a personal friendship for years. The reported fallout highlights ongoing tensions within conservative ranks over how to address extremist voices.