Tucker Carlson Ascends to Kingmaker in Grilling of GOP Hopefuls
By Kevin Howley, July 21, 2023
Between the media spectacle of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signing a six-week abortion ban from center stage at last week’s Family Leadership Summit – a GOP gabfest for evangelical Christians – and right wing media all atwitter over Tucker Carlson’s star turn as “inquisitor” of 2024 Republican hopefuls at the same event, absent one Donald J. Trump, there’s going to be hell to pay this campaign season.
The Washington Examiner summed up the proceedings with this worrisome rhetorical question: “Will Tucker Carlson Be a Kingmaker in the 2024 Race?” If right wing media have anything to say about it – and believe me, they’ve got plenty – the GOP primary is certain to be a race to the bottom.
Tucker’s Stress Test
Unapologetically pinching Politico’s description of the event, Townhall’s headline tells you all you need to know about Carlson’s reputational capital with god-fearing Iowans: “Many in the 2024 GOP Field Didn’t Fare Well Against the ‘Tucker Stress Test.’”
Not one to shrink from journalistic standards of objectivity, Matt Vespa didn’t pull any punches when he assessed Carlson’s performance this way: “The former Fox News host outright brutalized them. You could argue that Mr. Carlson was the grim reaper to many candidacies this week.”
Who am I to argue?
Echoing the sentiment, and then some, American Thinker offered this grim assessment: “Tucker Carlson Helps Cull the Republican Presidential Field.” For its part, Breitbart weighed in with a more judicious headline: “Tucker Carlson Wins Iowa with Sharp Humor and Sharper Questions.”
Either way you look at it, it was a banner day for Carlson. But for the also-rans trailing the twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president, it was no picnic.
“Cycle of Censorship”
The Blaze offered this bit of forward promotion for the event: “Tucker Carlson’s Return to Television and Live Interviews with Presidential Candidates May Spark Fireworks.” Reporter Michele Blood gushed that Blaze Media’s live coverage featuring the former Fox “personality” who “has a history of holding nothing back,” is must-see TV, adding, “his individual on-stage interviews with presidential candidates at this year’s summit in the run-up to the 2024 election may well prove to be extra spicy.”
Notwithstanding the mixed metaphors, when all was said and done there were clear winners and not a few losers.
Apart from Tucker’s own winning performance, business entrepreneur and political novice Vivek Ramaswamy proved popular with the assembled evangelicals. Channeling the Great Communicator, Ramaswamy told the crowd, “I think we have an opportunity to do in this country in 2024 what Ronald Reagan did in 1980: Deliver a landslide election [and] call the bluff on division.”
Rather than call Ramaswamy’s own bluff, Carlson agreed whole-heartedly with the candidate that what really happened on January 6, 2021 wasn’t an insurrection, much less what Tucker famously described as a “mostly peaceful protest.”
To Carlson’s approval, the 37-year-old GOP contender explained that censorship was the driving force of behind the Capitol riot. “And when you tell them, OK, there was an election where you didn’t get the information that you needed, such as the Hunter Biden laptop story being real and suppressed. That’s what caused Jan. 6, is a cycle of censorship in this country.”
For host and attendees alike, twisted logic that studiously avoids any mention of the seditionist- in-chief is a winning hand.
The Biggest Loser
From bad to worse, a sampling of right wing headlines reveal how poorly a crowded field of GOP candidates fared during their sit-down with Tucker.
Sen. Tim Scott Dodges Tucker Carlson Question on Deportations – Breitbart
Tucker Carlson Exposes Tim Scott as Hawk with One Question on Russia (VIDEO) – Gateway Pundit
Tucker Carlson Destroys Asa Hutchinson in Brutal Interview About Transgender Surgery for Minors, COVID Mandates – The Blaze
MIC DROP: Tucker Carlson Shuts Asa Hutchinson Down with One Question About the Covid Vaccine (VIDEO) – Gateway Pundit
In a satisfying bit of irony, it was none other than fellow evangelical Mike Pence who was the biggest loser in front of the assembled Christian conservatives.
From Pence’s inability to call out his former boss for putting out a contract on him, to his unflinching support for the Ukrainian war effort, Carlson was having none of Pence’s prevarications.
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what right wing outlets had to say about Tucker’s takedown of the former vice president.
Tucker Carlson Grills Mike Pence Over January 6: “Do You Think That Was An Insurrection?” – Breitbart
Things Get HEATED as Tucker and Pence CLASH over Ukraine – The Blaze
Did Mike Pence Just End His Presidential Candidacy? – American Thinker
Tucker Carlson Laughs in Mike Pence’s Face – 100% Fed Up
Ouch!
Kingmaker or no, Mr. Carlson made Mr. Pence look like the court jester. Meanwhile, the Mayor of Mar-a-Lago is laughing all the way to the bank, and the top of the GOP ticket.
And that’s no joke.
Kevin Howley is a writer and educator whose work has appeared in “Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism,” “Social Movement Studies,” and “Interactions: Studies in Communication and Culture.” He is the author and editor of several books including “Media Interventions” and “Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination.”
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The fallen Fox News anchor had a star turn at last week’s Family Leadership Summit where he had a star turn as inquisitor of 2024 GOP hopefuls. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
