Tucker Carlson Mocks Media, Politicians For Deeming QAnon A ‘Real Threat’
Topline
In a monologue on his show Monday night, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson tacitly defended believers of the crazy QAnon conspiracy theory, whose followers have been linked to multiple violent events, including the riot at the Capitol, slamming journalists who treat QAnon as dangerous and politicians who attempt to eliminate it from government.
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Key Facts
Framing the effort to root out QAnon as censorship gone too far, Carlson opened his monologue by slamming Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) for introducing a bill that would bar QAnon believers and other conspiracy theorists from obtaining federal security clearances.
Carlson claimed Murphy’s bill was hypocritical because Democrats had pushed “ludicrous conspiracy theories” of their own, including one that “Vladimir Putin secretly controlled the federal government,” an apparent reference to Democrats’ support for the Russia investigation.
The Fox News host pivoted to taunting journalists who treat QAnon as a “real threat,” instead of issues such as “Chinese hegemony” or “elite mismanagement of the economy,” playing back clips of cable news channels reporting the harmful effects of the conspiracy theory.
“Ooooh…Mr. Tom Friedman thinks this is all very frightening,” Carlson said, mocking the New York Times journalist who told CNN in an interview he was worried about the threat QAnon posed to the country.
Carlson claimed politicians and journalists were toying a fine “line” between “democracy and tyranny” by attempting to control peoples’ thinking as they denounce QAnon.
“Government has every right to tell you what to do,” Carlson went on, but “no democratic government can ever tell you what to think.”
Reached for comment Tuesday, a Fox News spokesperson referred Forbes to the full transcript of Carlson’s monologue.
Key Background
Former President Donald Trump and his allies frequently promoted QAnon before a mob that included believers in the conspiracy theory stormed the Capitol on January 6. Before he was banned from Twitter, Trump retweeted QAnon influencers hundreds of times. The former president never disavowed QAnon outright—despite being pressed to do so multiple times—and once lauded its followers during a press conference in August, saying, “I heard that these are people that love our country.”
Chief Critic
With Trump out of power, some Republicans have tried to eliminate the conspiracy theory’s influence in the party. In an op-ed published in The Atlantic earlier this month, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said the party “faces a choice” with Trump gone: “Dedicate ourselves to defending the Constitution and perpetuating our best American institutions and traditions” or be a “party of conspiracy theories, cable-news fantasies, and the ruin that comes with them.”
What To Watch For
Last week, Avril Haines, President Joe Biden’s director of national intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee she would strive to assist the intelligence community in producing an assessment of QAnon as a national security threat.
Tangent
Carlson’s monologue comes days after some Republicans have rallied to the defense of QAnon believers following heightened scrutiny in the wake of the Capitol riot. Over the weekend, the Hawaii Republican Party tweeted—then deleted—a tweet thread praising QAnon followers, saying they were “largely motivated by a sincere and deep love for America.” On Sunday, the Hawaii GOP official who took responsibility for the tweets resigned.
Further Reading
‘Error In Judgement’: Hawaii GOP Official Resigns After Defending QAnon Believers On Party Account (Forbes)
Hawaii Republican Party Deletes Tweets Defending QAnon Believers After Backlash (Forbes)
Fox News Viewership Plummets: First Time Behind CNN And MSNBC In Two Decades (Forbes)
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