Fox News’ Tucker Carlson claimed Monday night that he would not be “intimidated” into silence after several advertisers withdrew support for his show in response to him saying that illegal immigrants are making America “poorer and dirtier and more divided.”
“Those who won’t shut up get silenced. You’ve seen it a million times, it happens all the time,” Carlson said. “The enforcers scream ‘racist’ on Twitter, until everybody gets intimidated and changes the subject to the Russia investigation or some other distraction.”
“It’s a tactic, a well-worn one … and it won’t work with the show, we’re not intimidated,” Carlson said. “We plan to try to say what’s true until the last day. And the truth is, unregulated mass immigration has badly hurt this country’s natural landscape.”
Last week, Carlson argued that it would be beneficial to the U.S. economy to admit skilled workers into the U.S., rather than those with high school educations or less.
“Our country’s economy is becoming more automated and tech-centered by the day, it’s obvious that we need more scientists and skilled engineers. But that’s not what we’re getting,” Carlson said Thursday. “Instead, we’re getting waves of people with high school educations or less. Nice people, no one doubts that. But as an economic matter, this is insane.
“Instead, our leaders demand that you shut up and accept this. We have a moral obligation to admit the world’s poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poor and dirtier and more divided,” Carlson added.
Companies, including insurance company Pacific Life, announced shortly thereafter that they would withdraw their advertising from Carlson’s show in light of the remarks.
“One of our ads appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show last night following a segment where Mr. Carlson made a number of statements regarding immigration,” Pacific Life said in a statement Saturday. “Our customer base and our workforce reflect the diversity of our great nation, something we take great pride in. We will not be advertising on Mr. Carlson’s show in the coming weeks as we reevaluate our relationship with his program.”
Fox News responded to Pacific Life’s decision and said it was a “shame that left-wing advocacy groups, under the guise of being supposed ‘media watchdogs,’ weaponize social media against companies in an effort to stifle free speech.”
