Fox News host Tucker Carlson argued that the Left’s concentration on race is meant to distract from other issues and warned that the rhetoric emerging from the political rift dividing the country threatens to tip the nation into civil war.
In his first opening monologue since having described as “a hoax” the idea that white supremacy is one of the country’s most pressing problems, Carlson asked, “What’s the point at which rhetoric forces action? When do words become incitement? At what point do political attacks get so reckless and unhinged that you can no longer heal the divide they create with politics?”
“It’s hard to know exactly, but the Left is getting very close to it,” Carlson continued, before playing clips of MSNBC guests Malcolm Nance and Frank Figliuzzi claiming Tuesday that President Trump sends subliminal messages to neo-Nazis. He also showed footage of USA Today columnist Paul Reyes saying that “extermination” is the “natural conclusion” of Trump’s rhetoric, as well as MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace making the similar claim that he is “talking about exterminating Latinos.” Wallace later backtracked on such language.
Noting that Trump received a higher percentage of the Hispanic vote than Mitt Romney and that many Latinos agree with his border policies, Carlson explained why he believes that many on the Left nevertheless want to broadly paint Trump supporters as white supremacists.
“And yet the Left is now telling you — and demanding that you believe — that anyone who supports Donald Trump is a white supremacist, and must be destroyed,” said Carlson. “They’re telling you that for political reasons. This is election season and they want more political power. But there are other reasons, too. Ever wonder why rich people seem the most hysterical on the subject? Ever notice that it’s the highest paid people on TV who are the most determined to convince you that white supremacy is America’s biggest problem? Why is that? Simple: every minute that you’re angry about race is a minute you’re not thinking about class, which of course is the real divide in this country.”
“Working class people of all colors have a lot more in common with each other than they do with some overpaid MSNBC anchor,” he went on. “If you were allowed to think about that for long enough, you might start to get unauthorized ideas about economics. That would be disruptive to a very lucrative status quo.”
Arguing that the perpetual discussion of race is “a diversion” to distract from class disparity, Carlson warned, “Unfortunately, it’s destroying the country. This is the path to civil war, obviously. So we want to take a second to pass on a sincere message to official Washington, and particularly to our colleagues on the other cable news channels: Please, for the sake of the nation, calm down. Yes, America has problems. Racism is one of those problems. But so is a fading middle class, a terrifying drug epidemic, and a national debt that is growing by a trillion dollars a year. People realize their country is declining, and it’s making them turn to new political leaders. Donald Trump was one of them. Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are others.”
“This is a time of frustration and change. But America is not on the brink of genocide. Not even close,” Carlson concluded. “This is not a white supremacist country, plotting the slaughter of its own people. It’s a kind country, full of decent people of all races who, like all people everywhere, make bad decisions from time to time, but mean well and generally try their best.”
Carlson urged Americans to be more charitable with one another, saying, “Cut them a break. They deserve it. And remember: The alternative is disaster.”
Carlson prompted calls for a boycott against him after his Tuesday night monologue, in which he said, “If you were to assemble a list, a hierarchy of concerns, of problems this country faces, where would white supremacy be on the list? Right up there with Russia, probably. It’s actually not a real problem in America. The combined membership of every white supremacist organization in this country, would they be able to fit inside a college football stadium?”
“This is a country where the average person is getting poorer, where the suicide rate is spiking. ‘White supremacy, that’s the problem,'” Carlson continued mockingly. “This is a hoax just like the Russia hoax. It’s a conspiracy theory used to divide the country and keep a hold on power.”
