The political elites in Washington, DC are making a point to not pursue policies that the American public wants, journalist and conservative political commenter Tucker Carlson has said.
The former Fox News host blasted the lack of responsiveness of the American political system to the will of the people at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday. He praised former President Donald Trump, the party’s nominee, for being the opposite of standard politicians.
In the US capital, lawmakers can be seen “stepping over the prostrate bodies of their fellow citizens ODing on drugs to go cast votes to send money to some foreign country,” Carlson said. Prioritizing Ukraine’s needs, for example, over those of Americans is “too much actually. It’s too insulting. It’s a middle finger in the face of every American. It’s a very clear statement, which is unmistakable.”
Carlson is a long-time critic of the Ukraine policy conducted by the administration of President Joe Biden. He has rejected claims that bolstering the country against Russia is in the interests of the American people. He also criticized the narrative that sending money to Kiev defends democracy, citing the country’s slide towards authoritarianism under Vladimir Zelensky.
Critics have accused Carlson of being “pro-Russian” and secretly working for Moscow. Earlier this year, he traveled to Russia to interview President Vladimir Putin, which his detractors described as spreading “Russian propaganda.”
Carlson said he had sought to have a long-form sit-down interview with the Russian leader for years. He also claimed that the US government targeted him with illegal surveillance in an attempt to derail his efforts when he was working for Fox News.
In his RNC speech, Carlson suggested that Trump has been transformed after surviving an assassination attempt days ago, saying: “In that moment, Donald Trump, months before the presidential election, became the leader of this nation.” Serving the country and all of its citizens and not other interests is a mandatory requirement for true leadership, he argued.
He cited Trump’s choice of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, saying his views “are closer to Trump’s voters than anyone else in Washington in office.” Vance’s position on Ukraine and the conflict with Russia largely coincides with Carlson’s.