Ben Shapiro faces backlash as he doubles down on calling Rachel Corrie one of the 'great idiots of history'

WASHINGTON, DC: In a recent episode of 'Piers Morgan Uncensored', Daily Wire editor Ben Shapiro defended his past characterization of American activist Rachel Corrie - an American woman crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer - as one of the "Great Idiots of History."

The remarks came to light when news host Piers Morgan confronted Shapiro with a 2011 social media post, prompting a discussion on Shapiro's perspective on Corrie's tragic death. “When you look back at that tweet, do you have any regrets about the way you phrased that?” Morgan asked.

Shapiro Doubles Down

Shapiro replied: "Not particularly. I mean, I think that Rachel Corrie, her death was tragic, but that doesn’t mean that she wasn’t engaged in deep foolishness, that there are many members of the West who unfortunately do act as useful idiots for terror groups."

He continued, "Rachel Corrie was associated with the International Solidarity Movement, she was in the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Gaza in 2003 when Israel was conducting military operations in the middle of the Second Intifada, she was blocking a site that Israel had suggested was actually being used to hide terror tunnels, which as we now know is a frequent tactic been used in the Gaza Strip, and she planted herself in the blindspot of a bulldozer."

"Her death was a tragic accident. It’s tragic. That doesn’t mean that she wasn’t acting as a useful idiot on behalf of far more nefarious forces," he added.

“But she is a young woman who got bulldozed to death,” Morgan noted. “And this was 13 years ago and you’re a different character now. Just wondered whether looking back on it you would’ve phrased that differently?”

Shapiro responded, “I mean, perhaps I might phrase it differently now. Do I feel that she was a fool and that she was acting on behalf of nefarious interests? Absolutely.”

Social Media Backlash

Socia media was inundated with reactions slamming Shapiro after he said he has no regrets over calling the Israeli bulldozer victim one of the “Great Idiots of History.”

"I truly believe Rachel Corrie family should file lawsuit against Ben Shapiro, for his lies and insults," one posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"It was deliberate. What a shameless disgusting person," another fumed.

"And you wonder who supports terrorism @benshapiro," someone else wrote.

"They don't care about us," another chimed in.

Shapiro's visit to Auschitz alongside Elon Musk

The controversial segment concluded with Morgan teasing a shift in topic, saying, "Let’s take a short break, Ben, when I come back and talk to you about your fascinating trip to Auschwitz with Elon Musk."

The SpaceX CEO recently visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau site after he faced criticism for reposting an allegedly antisemitic post on social media. Musk toured the site alongside Ben Shapiro, and both were slated to attend a conference on antisemitism, per CBS News.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau site serves as a solemn reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II, where over 1.1 million people, primarily Jews, were brutally murdered.