He entered to rapturous applause, shamelessly flattered the hosts, told them about his political vision and sold them merchandise bearing his name.
Tucker Carlson’s appearance in Iowa on Friday looked like a presidential run, ran like a presidential run, and looked like a presidential run, but it sure wasn’t a presidential run, at least as far as is known.
The Fox News host was the keynote speaker at the Family Leadership Summit, a gathering of more than 1,800 religious conservatives in Des Moines, Iowa, which every four years is the first state to have a say in choosing the Republican presidential nominee.
It was at the same forum in the same state seven years ago that businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump told an audience that Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, was “not a war hero” – immediately condemning him his candidacy. or so everyone thought.
Carlson, 53, another political neophyte and media celebrity, has been touted as a possible heir apparent to Trump, who could launch a bid for the White House by fanning the same flames of populism, white identity politics and hungry for a man who speaks his mind – the wilder the better.
The New York Times has described Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News as “what may be the most racist show in cable news history.” It is also the highest rated in prime time.
Carlson describes white supremacy as a “hoax,” but it has become a prominent conduit for his talking points, suggesting that diversity is America’s greatest existential threat. He has infamously promoted the far-right’s “grand replacement” theory, which holds that Western elites are importing immigrant voters to usurp white people.
However, while he has embraced the nativist and mockingly liberal strains of the “Make America great again” movement, Carlson has been careful to keep some light between himself and Trump — leading some to speculate that he is paving his way. .
“He could be a good president for sure,” said Kent Proudfit, 70, attending Friday’s Family Leadership Summit. “I don’t know if he would run, but he is quite popular. He has the biggest cable show in America right now. I would definitely vote for him.”
Proudfit, a retired hospital courier driver wearing a Trump 2024 revenge tour hat he got for free, said he wasn’t bothered by Carlson’s lack of political experience.
“You don’t always need to have someone who is a politician; maybe someone who is in business like Trump was,” Proudfit said. “We need a businessman, and he’s done very well in business, so I’d lean in.”
At the conference, Carlson’s warm-up acts were Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa, and Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving U.S. senator in Iowa history, who both praised the supreme court’s decision to end the constitutional right for abortion.
Taking to the stage in a dark blue jacket, blue checkered shirt, blue and yellow striped tie and gray pants, Carlson delivered a 42-minute speech that ticked some of the boxes of a typical would-be candidate.
There were personal biographies (“I was super unpopular in sixth grade because I had the exact same views I have now.”), compliments to the hosts (“Think I’ve been to all 99 of your circles.“) and slides toward the Democrats (“The other side is so threatening and so scary at this point.”).
Carlson also sought to clear past comments that could be used against him. He has been widely condemned for voicing support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, as well as Hungary’s authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán.
“I am not a defender of Putin, despite what you may have heard,” he said. “I don’t care one way or the other because he is not my president. He does not preside over my country, and what he does in Ukraine, while I think historically important, certainly important to Ukrainians, is no more important to me than the cost of gas. It’s actually not even in the same universe.”
There was a wave of applause. Carlson continued: “The rising price of fossil fuels is not a concern. It’s the whole story. … Cheap energy, cheap fossil fuels make the difference between living in the Central African Republic and Des Moines.”
He also bore some stylistic similarities to Trump in digressive, meandering comments, sometimes with flashes of sardonic humor, that were more reminiscent of a man venting in a late-night bar than a politician reading from a teleprompter. Noting how Iowans have long been surrounded by eager candidates, Carlson said, “I can’t even imagine being in my boxer shorts and, like, bumping into Beto O’Rourke. “
But he admitted he is “no Bible scholar” and gave no hint of joining that crowd as he expressed surprise at being invited to speak at the conference, saying: “At the time I thought, no, actually, I’m the perfect person to come up here because I can give you advice on how to appreciate the sweaty people who are asking for your vote. Because if there’s one group I know well, it’s politicians.”
He argued that Republicans should choose a candidate who pays attention to voters’ core concerns, such as the well-being of their children, and who doesn’t care what the New York Times thinks. Carlson’s speech veered off into esoteric directions, including reactionary rants about modern architecture and an encounter with an underground beehive.
The TV host took famous shots at women having abortions and transgender athletes before concluding: “Twitter is not real, okay? It’s the domain of super unhappy people with empty personal lives and creepy political agendas. What matters to you is what matters to you and you have every right, in fact you have a constitutional duty to tell your representative to represent you on those issues.”
The hall erupted in cheers and applause from the conservative, overwhelmingly white audience that included many regular Tucker Carlson Tonight viewers.
Jim Hawkins, 77, retired from a career in education, said: “He is probably one of the most fearless people in exposing many of the false truths. It is very clear that our press has a bias that leans towards liberalism.”
At first Hawkins was skeptical of Carlson running for president, but later warmed to the idea, saying, “He would probably outwit a lot of the people who would come against him through his intellect. , his exposure to a variety of things. I could get behind that, but he would leave a gap in what he’s doing now.”
Kyle Danilson, 16, wearing a white “Tucker Carlson” cap on sale in the lobby for $30, along with water bottles for $20, said he’s been watching Carlson’s show since he was 14. “He’s probably the number one journalist in the conservative media,” Danilson said. “I agree with 75% of everything he says.
“If he wanted to run for president, he would have the platform, but I don’t think he should or would. He’s more about promoting someone else than promoting himself.”
Mary Jane Kolars, 71, watches Carlson’s show — widely condemned by fact-checkers for spreading false conspiracy theories — every night.
“I like that he’s honest,” she said. “He’s exposing a lot of corruption in our country and he’s not afraid to talk about what’s really going on behind the scenes.”
But the substitute teacher and retired church secretary added: “I wouldn’t want him to run for president; I want Trump. Tucker Carlson has his place and he is talented in that area. I don’t think he’s talented at running a country or dealing with foreign countries and making deals like Trump can make deals.”
Cindy Manning, 62, a teacher who watches the show almost every night, added: “He could run for president. I don’t know if that’s in his best interest, but he would be a good candidate. He lacks some things that he would need, but he would just have to surround himself with people who would help him.”
Democrats appear poised to end their Iowa caucuses’ first-in-seat status, but Republicans are expected to preserve the tradition. Potential 2024 contenders including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tom Cotton have made visits to the Hawkeye State.
Some observers suggest that Carlson, who was born into a wealthy family in San Francisco and attended a prestigious boarding school in Rhode Island, would struggle to appeal to conservative rural Iowa.
Storm Lake Times editor Art Cullen said, “I feel like Tom Cotton or Mike Pence is a much better fit for Iowa than, say, Tucker Carlson, a guy who wore a tie and old suits and everything . He shows up in Des Moines, and Tom Cotton shows up in that bleak little town where there’s a lot of evangelicals.”
Carlson’s white nationalism wouldn’t necessarily be a vote-winner here, Cullen added, saying, “There was a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment fueled by former Congressman Steve King. But there isn’t the kind of overt racism in Iowa that you’ll see in other places. It’s a much more subtle form of racism, so I don’t know if open appeals will be as attractive.”
Carlson has described poor immigrants as making America “poorer, dirtier and more divided” and has dismissed people protesting the 2020 police killing of George Floyd as “criminal mobs”. He has also cast doubt on coronavirus vaccines and claimed without evidence that the Jan. 6 uprising at the Capitol was a government “false flag” operation.
Still, his trip to Iowa is unlikely to quell speculation that he may seek the Republican nomination.
Advisor to the Democratic National Committee Kurt Bardella said: “Tucker Carlson is someone who is very smart, a gifted performer, and would embody the absolute worst impulses of the Republican party to come to life.
“He would become in many ways the living embodiment of the white grievances that seem to have overtaken the Republican party platform. When you adjust to his schedule every night, it really is the hour of white complaints.”
Bardella, a former Republican congressional aide, added: “The white nationalist element within the party has become bigger and more vocal and influential and visible. This would be a natural starting point and constituency for a Tucker Carlson presidential bid.
“In many ways, think of Tucker Carlson as a more polished Steve Bannon. Right outside the central casting, someone who embodies all the destructive elements that Steve Bannon represents, but in a much more presentable and polished way.”
