Over the weekend, photographs emerged of former Fox Information pundit Tucker Carlson visiting the Bolshoi Theater and different historic places as he strolled round Moscow. Hypothesis is that Carlson is in Russia to interview dictator Vladimir Putin.
After being booted from Fox, Carlson began a program on Elon Musk’s “X” social media platform, the place election deniers and associates of dictators are welcome. Whether or not Putin is definitely going to sit down down for a chat with Carlson stays unclear, however contemplating Russia’s use of social media to unfold propaganda about their unlawful invasion of Ukraine, handing Carlson an unique interview appears attainable. Particularly since Russian state tv has promoted Carlson’s present.
Each MAGA and Russian media are pushing a story saying that Democrats are livid over the concept of Carlson chatting with Putin. It appears extraordinarily unlikely to be a coincidence that Carlson arrived in Moscow simply as a bipartisan invoice emerged to supply funding to Ukraine.
Carlson reportedly arrived in Moscow on Feb. 1 after flying by means of Istanbul, which is the commonest route for getting into the nation that now not has flights from the U.S. or a lot of Europe.
MAGA Republicans appear ecstatic in regards to the prospect of Carlson interviewing a Russian dictator in the course of a conflict towards a U.S. ally. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene went on X to write down, “Democrats and their propagandists within the media are spasming on the prospect of Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin.” Greene doesn’t trouble to supply any examples of this “spasming.”
In the meantime, Russian state media is enjoying supposed man-on-the-street interviews wherein Muscovites reward Carlson as a “’brave journalist.” Whereas there have been no direct statements that Carlson could be granted an interview, unconfirmed experiences declare that the interview was carried out as we speak with Carlson paying a go to to the Kremlin.
Years earlier than Russian tanks rolled throughout the border in 2022, Carlson declared that he was rooting for Russia in its battle with Ukraine.
In a dialog with former Hillary Clinton adviser Richard Goodstein, Carlson stated, “Why do I care … what’s going on within the battle between Ukraine and Russia? … And I’m severe. Why do I care? Why shouldn’t I root for Russia, which I’m?”
When Goldstein replied that “preserving democracy is necessary,” Carlson was unphased.
“I don’t care!” Carlson stated.
After the unprovoked invasion started, Carlson initially voiced tepid assist for Ukraine. Over the next months, he grew to become increasingly vocal in his open assist for Russia and exerted all of the strain his present might ship to push Republicans into supporting Putin.
In an interview with a conservative Swiss media outlet final fall, Carlson claimed he had beforehand tried to interview Putin, “and the US authorities stopped me.” Carlson went on at size about how this violated his rights, however supplied no specifics or proof regarding this supposed censorship.
As Anne Applebaum has reported in The Atlantic, Carlson has made a specialty of turning assist for authoritarian regimes right into a “tradition conflict” concern. “Tucker Carlson, who additionally repeats the propaganda of overseas dictators whereas talking English, doesn’t have something just like the historic significance of Axis Sally or Tokyo Rose,” Applebaum writes, “although his degree of credibility is comparable.”
Framing this concern as left versus proper slightly than democracy versus dictatorship, Carlson sneers at American coverage and politicians whereas praising males who haven’t any larger ambition than to see the US humiliated. And he makes supporting Putin as a lot part of MAGA as supporting Donald Trump.
Carlson could also be in Moscow to interview Putin, however as Republican strategist Steve Schmidt places it, there’s a deeper purpose that this former Fox host is having fun with the Bolshoi.
Tucker Carlson is in Moscow as a result of that’s the place hate for America burns extremely popular, and Tucker Carlson hates America. He shares that with Vladimir Putin. It’s why he’s in Moscow.
Republicans within the Home are already doing Donald Trump’s bidding in attempting to kill the Senate invoice supporting Ukraine. Thankfully for them, their different grasp has the identical objective.
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