Tucker Carlson has joined the growing list of conservatives who are blasting John Cena for his apology to China after accidentally sparking an international incident by referring to Taiwan as a country, which is a major faux pas when it comes to the People’s Republic. China does not recognize Taiwan’s independence, so in an attempt to fix the situation (and likely protect F9‘s box office haul), Cena spoke in Mandarian for an apology video on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. However, Cena did not specify what he was apologizing for, and the video created a new backlash in the U.S., where the actor/wrestler has been heavily criticized.
On Wednesday, Carlson called the apology “disgusting” and outright “groveling” as the Fox News host parroted the pervasive right-wing talking point of equating Cena’s apology with a hostage video. He also accused Cena of being part of a leftist cabal that caters to the communist nation. Via The Wrap:
Tucker said the video “was effectively a hostage tape” and added that, “He can never mention Taiwan again.”
Tucker also suggested that Cena is part of a larger left-leaning swath of society that Tucker believes cowtows to China because the country helps them get rich. “If you want to make money in China, you have to follow their rules,” he said.
Of course, Carlson’s comments aren’t exactly original. Since the apology video, Cena has been roundly criticized by conservatives like Senators Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton, Megyn Kelly, and former CIA director Mike Pompeo. However, Cena has also received criticism from Democrats like Keith Olbermann who dragged the wrestler for apologizing to a “dictatorship.”
(Via The Wrap)