Famed television host Tucker Carlson, expressing his views on the indictment of former US President Donald Trump, said that his indictment was a result of his bold challenges to the U.S. military industry and his questioning of America’s involvement in international conflicts.
In a recent episode of his Twitter show on Tuesday, Carlson, who was fired by Fox News and is now broadcasting on Twitter, argued that Trump’s indictment was a result of his foreign policy positions and his opposition to wars in the Middle East. He highlighted Trump’s statement during the 2016 Republican primary debate, where he criticised the US invasion of Iraq and accused former President George W. Bush of lying about Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction.
“What matters, then and now, is foreign policy: the invasions and occupations and proxy wars — the decisions that determine which global populations will thrive and which will die. The policies that come with trillion-dollar price tags — the ones that, over time, have made the counties around D.C. the richest suburbs in the world,” Carlson said.
“In Washington, that’s what actually matters, and it’s obvious when you look carefully. When there’s a debate about anything else — for example, the debt ceiling — both sides take their assigned positions and they start yelling. But when Congress decides to start a war, no matter how foolish or counterproductive or obviously disconnected from America’s core interests that war may be — when that happens, the leaders of both parties automatically jump behind it like circus clowns,” he added.
According to Carlson, Trump’s presidency faced opposition from the “permanent Washington” establishment, with many individuals determined to thwart his agenda. He censured Trump’s appointees for undermining his administration and accused the Biden administration of politically targeting Trump. Carlson claimed that the prosecution of Trump was not only political but also ideological, asserting that those with Trump’s views are not allowed to hold power in the country.
“The prosecution of Donald Trump is transparently political. He’s literally Joe Biden’s main political opponent — he’s polling at over 60% among Republican voters right now. So, Joe Biden is doing what no president has ever dared to do: He’s using law enforcement power to lock up his chief rival. That’s happening right now. Anyone who denies it’s happening is lying to you. But actually, it’s worse than that. Trump’s prosecution isn’t just political. It’s ideological. Nobody with Trump’s views is allowed to have power in this country,” Carlson said.
Furthermore, Carlson slammed Republican politicians for failing to stand with Trump and highlighted what he perceived as their misplaced priorities. He pointed out the example of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who signed a bill prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles historically associated with race, while seemingly ignoring what Carlson viewed as the destruction of the American justice system in Trump’s case.
“Whatever else you say about him, Trump is the one guy with an actual shot of being president who dissents from Washington’s longstanding pointless war agenda. And for that, that one fact, they are trying to take Trump out before you can vote for him. And that should upset you more than anything that’s happened in American politics in your lifetime,” Carlson said.
“Yes, Donald Trump is a flawed man. But his sins are minor compared those of his persecutors. In this life, we don’t get to choose our martyrs. We can only choose our principles, and America’s are at stake,” he said.
It should be noted that Fox News allegedly sent Carlson a cease-and-desist letter to prevent him from posting episodes of his Twitter show, and his legal team has defended his First Amendment rights. The indictment against Trump involves allegations of mishandling classified documents and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.
As of now, Trump has pleaded not guilty and criticised the indictment as a “witch hunt” on his social media platform, Truth Social.
