Dan Bilzerian Says He Would "Declare War on Israel" as First Act as President

Social media personality Dan Bilzerian — once best known for high-stakes poker and Instagram excess — has reinvented himself as a vocal critic of Israel. His latest remark, that "the first thing I would do" as U.S. president "is declare war on Israel," has gone viral and drawn condemnation from pro-Israel groups and praise from segments of the online right.

What he said

Speaking on a long-form podcast that has racked up millions of views, Bilzerian argued that U.S. military aid and diplomatic cover for Israel's campaign in Gaza make Washington complicit in what he called "atrocities."

"If I were US president, the first thing I would do is declare war on Israel." — Dan Bilzerian

He later softened the language on X, saying he meant ending all military aid and imposing sanctions — not a literal armed conflict.

The reaction

• The Anti-Defamation League called the comment "reckless" and "dangerous rhetoric that fuels antisemitism."
• Congressman Brian Mast labeled Bilzerian "a national embarrassment."
• On the other side, commentators including Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson amplified the clip approvingly.

The bigger trend

Polling from Pew and Gallup over the past 18 months shows U.S. public sympathy for Israel at multi-decade lows, particularly among voters under 35. Bilzerian — with more than 30 million social followers across platforms — sits at the intersection of celebrity reach and a measurable political shift.

Context: who is Dan Bilzerian?

The son of a corporate raider and a self-styled "King of Instagram," Bilzerian holds U.S. and Armenian citizenship. He has briefly run for president before, in 2016 and 2020, on libertarian platforms that gained little traction. His current pivot toward foreign-policy commentary has, by his own admission, cost him brand deals — and brought him an enlarged, more political audience.

Sources: ADL, Pew Research Center, X (formerly Twitter), The Hill.