#jake shields

Noah VanDowe ahd Ben Van Bloem at MMFA:

As the Trump administration expands its use of the tech company Palantir across multiple agencies and departments within the federal government, some right-leaning media figures are expressing anger and fear about a “surveillance state,” placing a particular focus on Vice President JD Vance’s close ties to the Silicon Valley data management company. Warning of a future “President Palantir,” these right-leaning commentators have slammed Vance as a “pawn” of “the ultimate deep staters” like Palantir co-founders Peter Thiel and Alex Karp. They have also suggested that the goal of such tech companies is to make it so Americans cannot “live or do anything that feels human.” Other conservative figures have dismissed these concerns, arguing they will cause America to “lose” the artificial intelligence race to China. 

A far-right American political activist, podcaster, and former mixed martial artist.

Shields hosts the Fight Back podcast. He has expressed white nationalism, antisemitism, Holocaust denial and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

Shields faced Rousimar Palhares on August 1, 2015, at WSOF 22. He lost the fight by submission due to a kimura, marking his first loss by submission. This wasn't without controversy as Palhares repeatedly eye gouged Shields after several warnings from the ref, Palhares also held onto the submission well after Shields had tapped. In response, Shields punched Palhares in the face after the fight was over, and attempted a kick which the referee blocked.

On December 28, 2022, following an online altercation between climate activist Greta Thunberg and influencer Andrew Tate, Shields suggested that Tate should give Thunberg a 'proper smashing' so that she abandons her 'crazy feminist/climate nonsense'.

On April 25, 2023, Shields had addressed support via a tweet, which was later deleted for violating Twitter's terms of service, for the public executions of people who help a child transition their gender, and recommended that doctors, therapists, teachers, and guidance counselors be publicly executed for their assistance in helping the gender transitions of children.

In 2023, Shields began promoting himself as a pro-Palestine activist, amassing followers on social media for his strongly anti-Israel rhetoric during the Gaza war.

On September 21, 2023, he failed to appear at an arraignment in a Nevada court. He was charged with misdemeanor battery related to an altercation between himself and Mike Jackson, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

In March 2024, the ADL described him as an "antisemitic conspiracy theorist", after he claimed that Israel created the terrorist group ISIS.

Shields is also a proponent of Holocaust denial, saying in a post on X in February 2024: “I don’t think a single Jew died in gas chambers.” One May 2024 post on X, according to the ADL, was viewed over 1.3 million times and has 21K likes and said that Jews control America, as Congress is “making it illegal to question Jewish power.” Public Discourse alleged that "he has spread multiple blood libels with impunity".

In June 2024, Shields and white supremacist activist Nick Fuentes were prevented from attending a conference of the right-wing Turning Point USA and instead attended a far-right rally in Detroit originally organized by Fuentes as the 2024 America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC), and also attended by Sulaiman Ahmed, an online influencer, and David Duke, former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Shields also hosted David Duke on his podcast and described him as a "nice old man".

In March 2025, while hosting an Australian neo-Nazi on his podcast, Shields praised Adolf Hitler and Nazi policies, claiming that Hitler 'wasn’t pushing hatred towards other races'. He also defended the Nazi book burnings, claiming the books targeted "were, like, tranny books and communist books".

Shields is a lifelong vegetarian. He appeared in both print and video ads for PETA, touting his vegetarian lifestyle.

Shields is critical of vaccines.

Noah Dowe and Alyssa Tirrell at MMFA:

Fighters, podcasters, and other influencers connected to the Ultimate Fighting Championship regularly use their platforms to spread right-wing narratives attacking transgender people, broadcasting bigotry to millions of potentially apolitical viewers and turning the sport of MMA into a hotspot for anti-trans rhetoric. These narratives — disseminated through right-wing outlets, social media, and popular podcasts — extend far beyond claims that trans fighters should not be allowed to compete against cis women to include anti-trans slurs, calls for violence, and even praise of Adolf Hitler.

UFC figures routinely push right-wing media narratives including anti-trans talking points

Media Matters found that the right dominates the online ecosystem, seeping into supposedly nonpolitical spaces — including sports. UFC commentator Joe Rogan, whose Joe Rogan Experience boasts the largest following of any podcast with 39.9 million subscribers, is among the MMA influencers who host a number of right-leaning podcasts. While the show is categorized as comedy, Rogan frequently hosts right-wing media figures and spreads right-wing narratives. [Media Matters, 3/4/25]

UFC President Dana White is a Trump ally and donor who has repeatedly used the organization to benefit the president’s political ambitions. MMA journalist Karim Zidan reported in September 2020 that “White, along with a select group of UFC fighter[s], spent the last few months advocating for the incumbent president in an attempt to ensure his re-election. From campaign rallies and bus tours, to TV appearances and ad spots, the UFC went to great lengths to campaign for Trump.” White also directly endorsed Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention. [The Guardian, 8/23/20; Bloody Elbow, 11/11/20; The New York Times, 5/12/20]

UFC fighters and figures have routinely used right-wing and social media as a home for bigotry. Finding allies in conservative media, UFC figures such as current fighters Colby Covington and Bryce Mitchell and retired fighters Tito Ortiz and Tim Kennedy have promoted conspiracy theories and bigoted anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. [Media Matters 6/13/24]

Musk’s been deleting this image from Twitter so I’m posting it here.