Tucker Carlson finally spoke up on Wednesday, but said nothing specific about his recent firing, his future plans or even his state of mind. In fact, he didn’t really say anything specific at all.
Carlson’s two-minute rant, in the form of a video posted to Twitter you can watch above, was instead a vague, cryptic list of grievances against “people in charge,” “both political parties” and what he called the emergence of a “one-party state” in the United States. The former Fox News darling appeared to have recorded the message from his home studio in Maine, where he regularly self-taped “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and “Tucker Carlson Originals.”
“Good evening, it’s Tucker Carlson,” he began. “One of the first things you realize when you step outside the noise for a few days, is how many genuinely nice people there are in this country. Kind and decent people, people who really care about what’s true, and a bunch of hilarious people.”
In a rare pause for reflection, Carlson also threw in a little self-awareness: “The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably suited most of the debates on TV are,” he said. “They’re completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years, we won’t even remember that we had them. Trust me as somebody who’s participated.”
But Carlson lamented that “undeniably big topics” get “virtually no discussion at all.”
“War. Civil liberties. Emerging science. Demographic change. Corporate power. Natural resources. When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? It’s been along time,” he said. “Debates like that are not permitted in American media.”
Carlson, who still hasn’t commented directly on his abrupt ouster from Fox News, seemed to be affected by it, turning his grievance upon “both political parties.”
“Suddenly the U.S. looks like a one-party state. That’s a depressing realization. But it’s not permanent,” he continued. “Our current orthodoxies won’t last. They’re brain-dead. Nobody actually believes them. Hardly anyone’s life is improved by them. This moment is too inherently ridiculous to continue, and so it won’t. The people in charge know this, that’s why they’re hysterical and aggressive. They’ve given up persuasion, they’re resorting to force. But it won’t work.”
Carlson landed his missive on a look ahead to – you guessed it, nothing specific.
“Where can you still find Americans saying true things?” he said. “There aren’t many places left, but there are some. And that’s enough. And as long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon.”
