Tucker Carlson’s critics say he’s a blowhard who promotes racism, white supremacy, Replacement Theory, vaccine disinformation and “testicle tanning.” He says the people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6 were “sightseers.”
Now, his recent interview with Vladimir Putin has led some to call him one of Russia’s “useful idiots.”
But to his loyal fans at Focus on the Family and its allied organizations, Carlson is inspiring, smart, passionate, brave, bold, pro-life, pro-family, pro-Christianity and “the leading voice in American politics.” They say Carlson exhibits the courage — if not the evangelistic calling — of Billy Graham.
Carlson lost his job hosting the most popular show on Fox News last spring after the network paid $787.5 million to settle a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems. Carlson and other Fox hosts falsely attacked the company as part of the network’s ongoing coverage supporting Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 election.
Carlson has been busy ever since, posting on X, launching the Tucker Carlson Network streaming service and speaking — and raising funds — at Focus on the Family events. Donald Trump Jr., says Carlson is among Trump’s potential vice presidential candidates.
In Iowa, Focus on the Family’s public policy partner organization, Family Policy Alliance, chose Carlson to headline its January GOP candidate forum before the state’s primary election over usual Bob Vander Plaats, a kinder and gentler man who has led The FAMiLY Leader, Iowa’s Focus-affiliated activist organization, for 15 years.
Carlson also headlined Focus’ 2023 major donor retreat in Laguna Niguel, Calif., and he has spoken to a handful of Focus-affiliated state organizations.
In the past, Carlson spoke little of faith or membership in the Episcopal Church, but Focus highlighted “his developing faith” in one article, “Tucker Carlson Starts Reading Scripture and Discovers These Two Truths.”
Carlson now quotes Scripture in some of his public talks, which appeal to certain kind of faith. The Federalist reported on his talk to Focus’ partner in Ohio, the Center for Christian Virtue: “Practicing Real Christianity Means ‘The People in Charge Want to Kill You.’”
Carlson told the Ohio crowd Christians need fearlessness because they’re intimidated in America.
It’s not too late to buy $325 dinner tickets for his May talk to the Focus-aligned Florida Family Policy Council, but the $75,000 event sponsorship option is sold out.
Last October, the Focus-aligned Center for Arizona Policy offered photos with Carlson ($10,000) and the chance for a party of four to dine with him ($50,000).
Focus warns against endorsing, idolizing or lionizing Carlson but hasn’t offered any criticisms of him.
In a 2019 blog post titled “Coming to Tucker Carlson’s Defense,” Focus CEO Jim Daly said Carlson was “absolutely correct in drawing our attention to the economic drivers of family decline.”
Daly said liberals had attacked Carlson “because many of them believe the decline of families built upon natural marriage is a good thing and that the more ‘alternative families’ we have in America, the better. Weak families allow for the justification of bigger government to pay for and offset poverty, unwanted pregnancy and much more.”
Like Carlson, Focus also promotes skepticism about Dominion’s voting machines: here, here, and here. The ministry has not told its followers why Fox settled with the company.
Focus suggested Carlson’s departure from Fox was the result of his role on the “spiritual battle to restore our nation.” Tony Perkins of the Focus-aligned Family Research Council said Fox fired Carlson for ideological reasons.
“This is the continuation of Fox’s devolution,” Perkins told Newsmax. “They’re shedding their conservative skin is what they are doing. … He is not the first conservative talk show host they have kicked to the curb.”
Carlson said his trip to interview Putin in Moscow was “radicalizing” and revealed that Russia’s capital city is “so much cleaner and safer and prettier, aesthetically, the architecture, the food, the service, than cities in the U.S.”
“Isn’t that the ultimate measure of leadership?” he asked, referring to Putin.
“He is a traitor,” said former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger. Thom Tillis, a Focus-friendly Senator, agreed.
“Ah yes, Russia is so much better than the U.S. with all those cheap groceries and lavish subway stations!” Tillis wrote on X. “The Soviets had a term for people like Tucker: useful idiots.”
Earlier, Carlson’s pro-Russian stance led Russian state TV to air segments of his show in Russia.
Christianity Today reported that Carlson’s admiration for Putin may signal a shift in evangelicals’ attitudes toward a nation that bestselling end-times prophecy author Hal Lindsay claimed would introduce the Antichrist and invade Israel: “Some have expressed warmer feelings toward Putin, who has positioned himself as a defender of traditional family values. A recent survey found that people who believe the U.S. should be a Christian nation were more likely to support him.”
CT previously reported that Carlson had called Russia and Hungary “Christian nations.”
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