ITHACA, NEW YORK (VINnews)-A Cornell University student who publicly rejected a job interview with Jewish founders has doubled down on his remarks, calling Israel’s actions a “genocide” and declaring Nick Fuentes’ “America First” movement the future for young people.

Austin Franco, a member of Cornell’s Class of 2028, went viral after telling the Jewish co-founders of the real estate tech startup VryfID that he was “not interested in working for a Jew.” Franco cited what he described as negative personal experiences with Jewish people. On the July 28 episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, he stood by the statement, compared it to avoiding short people, and invoked freedom of association. Morgan called Franco “irredeemably awful” and cut the interview short after Franco refused to apologize.

Franco has also claimed that Israel is committing a “genocide” and treated that assertion as evidence that Jewish people as a whole are evil. He has further stated that Fuentes’ “America First” ideology represents the path forward for his generation.

The episode has drawn sharp criticism from Jewish entrepreneurs and others who see Franco’s comments as part of a broader rise in antisemitic rhetoric among young people. Gabe Einhorn, one of the VryfID founders, thanked Morgan for confronting Franco and said he plans to create a support network for young Jewish entrepreneurs facing similar hostility.

Franco’s case is not isolated. Observers across the political spectrum have noted the spread of similar views online, where algorithms often amplify extreme content. Critics warn that such antisemitism frequently serves as an entry point to broader anti-capitalist and anti-American attitudes, while casting traditional U.S. allies as villains and regimes in Iran and Russia in a more favorable light.

Cornell has reportedly investigated the original incident as a bias complaint. Franco later said his parents were forcing him to leave home as a result of the controversy and launched a fundraising campaign.

The episode highlights ongoing concerns about the radicalization of young Americans through social media and the challenge of countering misinformation that portrays democratic allies as aggressors while downplaying threats from adversarial states.