Tucker Carlson Weighs In on Trump’s Political Career

Tucker Carlson discusses 'Populism and the Right' during the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington on March 29, 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Political commentator and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson weighed in on the impact of former President Donald Trump’s political career, saying in an interview that aired on July 7 that he believes it will likely be seen as one of the most meaningful occurrences in politics of our time.

“I think looking back on this ten years from now, assuming we’re still around, I think we’re going to see Trump’s emergence as the most significant thing that happened in American politics in 100 years because he reoriented the Republican Party against the wishes of Republican leaders,” Mr. Carlson said.

The former primetime political commentator made his comments while speaking to British actor and podcaster Russell Brand during the commentator’s first interview since abruptly leaving Fox News in April of this year.

Mr. Carlson went so far as to say that he believes Mr. Trump is the only person in the Republican Party with the correct international financial support ideals for dealing with war in other countries.

“I’m struck by his foreign policy views. You know, Trump is the only person with stature in the Republican Party really who is saying, ‘Wait a second, why are we supporting an endless war in Ukraine?’

“Leaving aside whether Trump is going to get the nomination or get elected president or would be a good president, I can’t even assess that; all I can [say] at this point is I’m so grateful he has that [foreign policy] position. He’s right, and everyone in Washington is wrong—everyone.

“And Trump is right on that question, and it’s a big question. That war is reshaping the world. It’s reshaping the economy of the world. It’s reshaping populations. Europe will never be the same because of this war, and it really matters, and Trump alone among popular figures in both parties understands that, and I’m grateful for that.”

While Mr. Carlson believes that the former president has the most accurate foreign policy viewpoint, he was less confident that Mr. Trump will be able to win the presidency in the upcoming presidential election.

“Whether he gets the nomination or gets elected, words really matter,” Mr. Carlson asserted. “Saying something true out loud matters, and he is saying true things about Ukraine, and God bless him. That’s how I feel.”

Carlson’s Previous Comments on Trump

Several weeks before the interview, Mr. Carlson spoke about Mr. Trump’s legal struggles, saying he believes that the indictment against the former president is not merely political but “ideological” and based on remarks he made about the U.S.-led coalition invasion of Iraq.

Mr. Carlson made the comments in the third episode of his Twitter program, which aired on June 13, the same day Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty to charges in the federal government’s classified document case in a Miami court.

Mr. Carlson described Mr. Trump’s court appearance as the “first step in a process” designed to put the former president in prison for the “rest of his life” and claimed that the Republican, who is currently leading in 2024 election polls, had made himself “the blood enemy of the largest and most powerful organization in human history, which would be the federal government” in 2016.

Mr. Carlson went on to assert that the prosecution of Trump is “transparently political,” pointing out the conflict of interest for Democrat political candidate, President Joe Biden.

“He’s literally Joe Biden’s main political opponent. He’s polling over 60 percent among Republican voters right now. So Joe Biden is doing what no president has ever dared to do. He’s using law enforcement to lock up his chief rival. That’s happening right now. Anyone who denies it’s happening is lying to you. But actually, it’s worse than that. Trump’s prosecution isn’t just political. It’s ideological,” Carlson said.

“Nobody with Trump’s views is allowed to have power in this country. Criticize our wars, and you’re disqualified. If you keep it up, we’ll send you to prison. That’s the message Washington is sending, not just the Democratic Party is sending, but both parties are sending,” he added.

Answer to Questions About Fox

During the same July 7 interview with Mr. Brand, Mr. Carlson answered point-blank questions about his exit from the most popular cable news network in the country, saying that he still doesn’t know why he was asked to leave the network.

“I don’t know why I was fired. I really don’t. I’m not angry about it. I wish Fox well,” he told the podcast this week in an interview that aired Friday on Rumble.

Mr. Brand asked Mr. Carlson about the reason for his dismissal and whether it had anything to do with Mr. Carlson’s programs that featured new footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol breach or if there were other factors.

“Honestly I don’t know,” Mr. Carlson replied.

“They didn’t agree with me, of course, I don’t think,” Mr. Carlson added, saying that he can “only speculate” about the reasons.

Mr. Carlson stated in his interview that he is not being compensated by Twitter or its owner, Elon Musk, for hosting content there and that he never wants to have a boss again.

“What social media offers in the short term is an audience and a reason to write.”