Tucker Carlson’s apparently duplicitous ways recently gained the spotlight when The New York Times‘ Ben Smith reported that the Fox News host is secretly “a great source” for unsavory stories about Donald Trump. Don’t forget, though, that he’s also a master deflector. In response to Smith’s inquiries (mentioned in the article) about whether Tucker’s received the Covid-19 vaccination (which he vilifies on-air), Tucker deflected with a question about Smith’s sex life. And now, it seems that Tucker’s vigorous on-air support of Trump (including the whole insurrection subject) might be an illusion, too.
At the very least, Tucker seems like he opportunistically hopped aboard the Trump train in an extreme way, if some resurfaced remarks are any indication. The Washington Post has unearthed some 1999 remarks that Tucker made to fellow Slate blogger Evan Smith. The conversation revolved around the possibility of Trump entering the 2000 presidential race under the Reform Party. Smith initially called Trump “repulsive,” and Tucker agreed while doubling down, bigly. Via Slate:
“I’d love to add something even meaner to your description of Donald Trump — he’s the sort of person I want to keep kicking once he’s down — but I don’t think I can. You’ve said it all: He is the single most repulsive person on the planet. What a wonderfully pithy, accurate sentence. Congratulations.”
Interestingly enough, Insider contacted Fox News for comment and received a response that pointed towards a 2016 Politico column penned by Tucker, who called Trump “imperfect,” although he was a fan of his populist ways. And it appears that Tucker decided to seize upon that wave, too, and he’s not giving up anytime soon. All those wild rants about UFOs, sprinkled with pro-Trump rhetoric, made Tucker Carlson Tonight the top-rated show during last quarter’s cable-news competition. He’s wildly veered out of reality, but why would he ever change course now?
(Via Slate, Washington Post & Insider)