American conservative political commentator Candace Owens, attends a session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
Conservative podcaster Candace Owens is facing intense backlash within her own movement after appearing at the Kremlin-backed St. Petersburg International Economic Forum alongside sanctioned Russian officials.
Radio host Mark Levin called Owens a "Woke Reich traitor" on X.
Far-right politician Laura Loomer demanded a federal investigation into potential Foreign Agents Registration Act violations and attacked Owens' personal life.
Owens initially framed the trip as a family vacation but appeared on a panel with Alexander Zharov, a President Vladimir Putin appointee under U.S. sanctions, and Anna Kuznetsova, a Russian parliamentarian sanctioned for forced deportation of Ukrainian children.
Conservative podcast duo Chicks on the Right called Owens "the quintessential useful idiot to the Russian regime" and questioned whether the trip was self-funded.
Owens told the Free Press, "Grow up. No one is buying the propaganda against Moscow anymore."
Southern Poverty Law Center researcher Hannah Gais explained to Raw Story that Owens follows a pattern of right-wingers viewing Russia as an ally against Western liberalism.
Watch the video below.