Correction (3/21/23): The date of this interview has been updated.
Tucker Carlson makes pathetic and desperate attempt to walk back his private confession that he hates Donald Trump
Carlson: “I love Trump”
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Tucker Carlson makes pathetic and desperate attempt to walk back his private confession that he hates Donald Trump
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From the March 20, 2023, edition of WABC's Bo Snerdley's Rush Hour
BO SNERDLEY (HOST): Tucker, listen, I've had a number of people saying they read all these things in the paper -- "You hate Trump blah, blah, blah." But this it -- does Tucker like Trump's policies, any policies of his? What's the deal with you and Donald Trump?
TUCKER CARLSON (GUEST): Oh, let's see. I spent four years defending his policies and I -- I'm going to defend them again tonight. And actually, and I'm pretty straight forward, I'm -- I love Trump. Like, as a person, I think Trump is funny and insightful. And and I said this to Trump when he called me, you know, all wounded about those texts. That was a moment in time where I was absolutely infuriated.
And I think this is in the text -- and those were all grabbed completely illegitimately, in my opinion, in this court case, which I guess I'm not allowed to talk about, but I'm enraged that my private texts were pulled.
But those -- those particular texts were pulled at exactly -- at the moment where I was texting with one of my producers because some idiot on the Trump campaign had sent us the name of these dead voters who had voted. And we went and I repeated them on air, and it turns out some of them were alive.
SNERDLY: Oh.
CARLSON: So. I was just -- I felt humiliated. Yeah. Like what? And I thought then and I think now that that election was not on the level, it was not a free and fair election. I thought that then. I think it now.
And so, I was trying to -- I wanted, you know, evidence. I mean, there's no way the guy got 81 -- he got more votes than Barack Obama. Really?
You know, who -- whatever you think of Obama -- I never liked Obama -- but he's a really talented, very talented politician. And Joe Biden is senile and hid in his basement. Tell me how he got 81 million votes.
So, I've always thought that was not on the level. And so I said to the Trump people, you know, "You're saying the election was rigged. Send me some examples of it and I'll put it on the air."
And one of them was these dead voters. Well, it turned out some of them were still alive. And I was so mad by the incompetence of that campaign, which was completely incompetent. I mean, completely you know, I'm like the one guy who's open minded about the election being unfair. And -- and that's what they send me? Anyway. Whatever. I was mad. That was a moment in time.
And I will say this. My comments on TV -- I think my texts reflect who I am. And I'm vulgar in public, in private, rather. And I use, like bad language and stuff. I worked in a newsroom my whole life and my wife's always trying to improve me, which is fair, but my views are pretty transparent. I always say what I think. I can't keep track of too many lies, you know what I mean? So anyway.
SNERDLY: I know exactly what you mean. And people forget this, that we say things. We're human beings and we can say things in a peak of anger.
CARLSON: Exactly.
SNERDLY: And at that very moment we're saying things in a peak of anger, but it does not represent the whole body of our thoughts.
CARLSON: Well, that's exactly right. And I was -- I was actually even thinking about it. Makes me mad now. I reached out to this one Trump aide who's -- I'm not going to name, he's a nice guy, but he's totally incompetent. And I said, "I agree with you. There was something really wrong with this election. Send me evidence." And then to have the voters call in and be like, "No, I'm still alive." I'm so embarrassed and mad.