Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
What exact phrase did Nick Fuentes say about 'gas chambers' and when?
Executive Summary
Nick Fuentes has used multiple phrases over several years that question or mock the Nazi murder of Jews in gas chambers; his clearest recent remark—“I don’t know if I buy that” referring to the use of gas chambers—was made on his Rumble stream America First on March 11, 2024. Earlier items attributed to him include a crude comparison of gas chambers to an oven and minimizing the number of Jewish victims; attribution and exact wording vary across reports and require direct review of the original audio or video for final verification [1] [2].
1. What Fuentes actually said and when — a tight read of available quotes
Reporting identifies a specific, attributable line from Fuentes: “I don’t know if I buy that” in direct reference to the Nazis’ use of gas chambers, said on his Rumble program America First uploaded March 11, 2024. That quote is repeated in multiple summaries of the broadcast and presented as Fuentes casting doubt on established Holocaust history [1]. Other accounts describe more graphic dismissals and comparisons — notably a reported simile equating gas chambers to “cookies baking in an oven” and a claim that Nazis could only have killed “200,000 to 300,000” Jews — but those reports do not consistently reproduce a verbatim timestamped quote and are traced to earlier pieces (one from December 2019, updated 2022) rather than the 2024 stream [2].
2. A messy timeline: scattered quotes, multiple years, shifting contexts
The available material spans several years and formats: a 2019/2022 opinion piece recounts an earlier instance where Fuentes allegedly giggled while comparing gas chambers to ovens and downplayed victim counts [2]. The 2024 Rumble stream provides a clear modern iteration of Holocaust denial in a short, attributable phrase [1]. Subsequent media attention through 2024–2025, including coverage around interviews and leaked chats, ties Fuentes’ language to broader far-right networks and media interactions but does not add a new verbatim gas-chamber quote beyond the March 11, 2024 line [3] [4]. Multiple media pieces mention his denials without reproducing a single consistent phrasing, producing a patchwork timeline of similar content across platforms.
3. How mainstream institutions and critics frame the claim — facts versus rhetoric
Independent historical institutions and mainstream reporting affirm that Nazi gas chambers were used as a systematic killing method and document millions of Jewish deaths; analysts stress that Fuentes’ formulations are part of Holocaust denial rather than legitimate historical debate [1]. Coverage pairs his remarks with documented evidence that killing facilities using carbon monoxide or Zyklon B existed across camps, undercutting Fuentes’ skepticism [1]. Critics across the political spectrum have condemned Fuentes’ statements as antisemitic and factually false, while some commentators treating him as a provocateur emphasize the rhetorical and political aims behind minimizing atrocities [1].
4. Fuentes’ broader rhetorical patterns and political ripple effects
The gas-chamber references are one element in a consistent pattern: Fuentes has repeatedly advanced antisemitic claims and expressed admiration for extremist figures, prompting both social media bans and political backlash [4] [5]. He has also referenced leaked Young Republican chats and used them to argue his views are gaining traction inside the GOP, even as he advises followers to “hide your power level” to avoid detection — signaling both an activist strategy and an attempt to normalize fringe views into mainstream politics [3]. Media appearances that amplified him, including interviews with prominent hosts in 2025, generated renewed scrutiny and debates about platforming and the mainstreaming of extremist rhetoric [4] [5].
5. Gaps, verification needs, and how to confirm exact phrasing
Existing reports provide a clear, dated quote for March 11, 2024, but other alleged phrases lack consistent verbatim recordings in the supplied materials; several sources summarize or paraphrase rather than transcribe verbatim [2] [6]. For definitive verification, consult the primary audio/video files of the March 11, 2024 Rumble stream and the earlier speeches or broadcasts (including the AFPAC II 2021 recording archived online) to confirm intonation, exact wording, and context [6]. Readers should note the potential for paraphrase-driven amplification: secondary accounts sometimes compress or sensationalize language, so direct primary-source review is necessary for legal or archival precision.
6. Bottom line — the proven phrase and the broader truth
The most reliably documented phrase is Fuentes saying “I don’t know if I buy that” about Nazi gas chambers on March 11, 2024, which media outlets have cited as an explicit expression of Holocaust denial [1]. Additional alleged comments — oven comparisons and minimized victim counts — appear in earlier reporting but lack a single contemporaneous transcript across the materials provided and therefore require primary-source confirmation to pin down exact wording and timing [2] [6]. The historical record maintained by Holocaust museums and scholars conclusively documents the use of gas chambers and mass murder, a factual framework that directly contradicts Fuentes’ denials and minimizations [1].