Over the weekend, images emerged of former Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson visiting the Bolshoi Theater and other historic locations as he strolled around Moscow. Speculation is that Carlson is in Russia to interview dictator Vladimir Putin.
After being booted from Fox, Carlson started a program on Elon Musk’s “X” social media platform, where election deniers and friends of dictators are welcome. Whether Putin is actually going to sit down for a chat with Carlson remains unclear, but considering Russia’s use of social media to spread propaganda about their illegal invasion of Ukraine, handing Carlson an exclusive interview seems possible. Especially since Russian state television has promoted Carlson’s show.
Both MAGA and Russian media are pushing a narrative saying that Democrats are furious over the idea of Carlson speaking to Putin. It seems extremely unlikely to be a coincidence that Carlson arrived in Moscow just as a bipartisan bill emerged to provide funding to Ukraine.
Carlson reportedly arrived in Moscow on Feb. 1 after flying through Istanbul, which is the most common route for entering the nation that no longer has flights from the U.S. or much of Europe.
MAGA Republicans seem ecstatic about the prospect of Carlson interviewing a Russian dictator in the middle of a war against a U.S. ally. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene went on X to write, “Democrats and their propagandists in the media are spasming at the prospect of Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin.” Greene doesn’t bother to provide any examples of this “spasming.”
Meanwhile, Russian state media is playing supposed man-on-the-street interviews in which Muscovites praise Carlson as a “'courageous journalist.” While there have been no direct statements that Carlson would be granted an interview, unconfirmed reports claim that the interview was conducted today with Carlson paying a visit to the Kremlin.
Years before Russian tanks rolled across the border in 2022, Carlson declared that he was rooting for Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
In a conversation with former Hillary Clinton adviser Richard Goodstein, Carlson said, “Why do I care … what is going on in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? … And I’m serious. Why do I care? Why shouldn’t I root for Russia, which I am?”
When Goldstein replied that “preserving democracy is important,” Carlson was unphased.
“I don’t care!” Carlson said.
After the unprovoked invasion began, Carlson initially voiced tepid support for Ukraine. Over the following months, he became more and more vocal in his open support for Russia and exerted all the pressure his show could deliver to push Republicans into supporting Putin.
In an interview with a conservative Swiss media outlet last fall, Carlson claimed he had previously tried to interview Putin, “and the US government stopped me.” Carlson went on at length about how this violated his rights, but offered no specifics or proof concerning this supposed censorship.
As Anne Applebaum has reported in The Atlantic, Carlson has made a specialty of turning support for authoritarian regimes into a “culture war” issue. “Tucker Carlson, who also repeats the propaganda of foreign dictators while speaking English, doesn’t have anything like the historical significance of Axis Sally or Tokyo Rose,” Applebaum writes, “though his level of credibility is similar.”
Framing this issue as left versus right rather than democracy versus dictatorship, Carlson sneers at American policy and politicians while praising men who have no greater ambition than to see the United States humiliated. And he makes supporting Putin as much a part of MAGA as supporting Donald Trump.
Carlson may be in Moscow to interview Putin, but as Republican strategist Steve Schmidt puts it, there’s a deeper reason that this former Fox host is enjoying the Bolshoi.
Republicans in the House are already doing Donald Trump's bidding in trying to kill the Senate bill supporting Ukraine. Fortunately for them, their other master has the same goal.
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After being booted from Fox, Carlson started a program on Elon Musk’s “X” social media platform, where election deniers and friends of dictators are welcome. Whether Putin is actually going to sit down for a chat with Carlson remains unclear, but considering Russia’s use of social media to spread propaganda about their illegal invasion of Ukraine, handing Carlson an exclusive interview seems possible. Especially since Russian state television has promoted Carlson’s show.
Both MAGA and Russian media are pushing a narrative saying that Democrats are furious over the idea of Carlson speaking to Putin. It seems extremely unlikely to be a coincidence that Carlson arrived in Moscow just as a bipartisan bill emerged to provide funding to Ukraine.
Carlson reportedly arrived in Moscow on Feb. 1 after flying through Istanbul, which is the most common route for entering the nation that no longer has flights from the U.S. or much of Europe.
MAGA Republicans seem ecstatic about the prospect of Carlson interviewing a Russian dictator in the middle of a war against a U.S. ally. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene went on X to write, “Democrats and their propagandists in the media are spasming at the prospect of Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin.” Greene doesn’t bother to provide any examples of this “spasming.”
Meanwhile, Russian state media is playing supposed man-on-the-street interviews in which Muscovites praise Carlson as a “'courageous journalist.” While there have been no direct statements that Carlson would be granted an interview, unconfirmed reports claim that the interview was conducted today with Carlson paying a visit to the Kremlin.
Years before Russian tanks rolled across the border in 2022, Carlson declared that he was rooting for Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
In a conversation with former Hillary Clinton adviser Richard Goodstein, Carlson said, “Why do I care … what is going on in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? … And I’m serious. Why do I care? Why shouldn’t I root for Russia, which I am?”
When Goldstein replied that “preserving democracy is important,” Carlson was unphased.
“I don’t care!” Carlson said.
After the unprovoked invasion began, Carlson initially voiced tepid support for Ukraine. Over the following months, he became more and more vocal in his open support for Russia and exerted all the pressure his show could deliver to push Republicans into supporting Putin.
In an interview with a conservative Swiss media outlet last fall, Carlson claimed he had previously tried to interview Putin, “and the US government stopped me.” Carlson went on at length about how this violated his rights, but offered no specifics or proof concerning this supposed censorship.
As Anne Applebaum has reported in The Atlantic, Carlson has made a specialty of turning support for authoritarian regimes into a “culture war” issue. “Tucker Carlson, who also repeats the propaganda of foreign dictators while speaking English, doesn’t have anything like the historical significance of Axis Sally or Tokyo Rose,” Applebaum writes, “though his level of credibility is similar.”
Framing this issue as left versus right rather than democracy versus dictatorship, Carlson sneers at American policy and politicians while praising men who have no greater ambition than to see the United States humiliated. And he makes supporting Putin as much a part of MAGA as supporting Donald Trump.
Carlson may be in Moscow to interview Putin, but as Republican strategist Steve Schmidt puts it, there’s a deeper reason that this former Fox host is enjoying the Bolshoi.
Republicans in the House are already doing Donald Trump's bidding in trying to kill the Senate bill supporting Ukraine. Fortunately for them, their other master has the same goal.
Campaign Action