Tucker Carlson responded to speculation that he might become the first U.S. journalist to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Russia-Ukraine war.
When asked by a Russian newspaper journalist if he was in Moscow to interview Mr. Putin, the former Fox News host smiled and said, “We'll see.” He did not provide any more details.
“It is beautiful,” Mr. Carlson also said of Moscow in an interview that was aired by the Izvestia newspaper. “I just wanted to see it because, you know, I have read so much about it but I have never seen it before.”
The Kremlin, when asked the same question about a Putin-Carlson interview, said it could hardly be expected to comment on the comings and goings of foreign journalists or provide a running commentary on them.
“Many foreign journalists come to Russia every day, many continue to work here, and we welcome this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday. “We have nothing to announce in terms of the president’s interviews to foreign media.”
“By the way, nobody defended me. I don’t think there was anybody in the news media who said, ‘Wait a second. I may not like this guy, but he has a right to interview anyone he wants, and we have a right to hear what Putin says,’” he said. “'You’re not allowed to hear Putin’s voice. Because why? There was no vote on it. No one asked me. I’m 54 years old. I’ve paid my taxes and followed the law,” he added.
At the time, Mr. Peskov told Interfax that Russia receives “dozens of requests every day from international media, including American ones, asking President Putin to give an interview,” adding, “We believe that there will definitely come a time when such an interview is required,” according to an English translation. However, he said, “it is unlikely that anyone is now able to soberly perceive Putin’s analysis of the situation, his vision of the future, and so on.”
But he did not dispute the possibility of a Carlson-Putin interview in the future.
Reactions
The move to travel to Moscow drew condemnation from a number of prominent Ukraine backers on social media, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who claimed the former Fox host was “a traitor” for going to Moscow. And a member of the European Parliament wrote that “if he enables disinformation for Putin, the EU should explore a travel ban.”But Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) said that “Democrats and their propagandists in the media are spasming at the prospect of Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin.”
Other Chatter
There has also been speculation that former President Donald Trump, the current Republican front-runner for president, would consider Mr. Carlson as his running mate. But Mr. Carlson has suggested that it’s not a likely possibility, saying during a speech in December that “God would have to yell at me very loud” in order for him to consider it, The Hill reported.It came amid rumors that former First Lady Melania Trump had suggested Mr. Carlson join the ticket. “I don’t know her, really,” Mr. Carlson said. “To go from being, like, a well-paid street corner schizophrenic to, like, a politician—it’s just kind of hard to envision.”
They included Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. “I called Tim Scott ... and I said, ‘You are a much better candidate for me than you were for yourself,’” President Trump said. “Kristi Noem has been incredible fighting for me,” he also said. “She said, ‘I’d never run against him because I can’t beat him.' That was a very nice thing to say.”
Once a Fox News prime time star, Mr. Carlson and the network abruptly parted ways in April 2023 before he launched his own streaming service that primarily targets X, formerly Twitter. Since then, notable world leaders he has interviewed include Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Argentinian President Javier Millei.
