Like Trump, Tucker Carlson appears to have a fetish for dictators. His pro-Putin diatribes have made him a bit of a celebrity in Russia, with the Kremlin ordering its state-run media outlets to feature as much of the Fox News host as it could, in order to give its viewers a very twisted view of the way “Americans” see Russia. (At a very early point in the Russia-Ukraine War, he also made it clear that he thought Ukraine should just give up.) Then there was the time he traveled to Hungary to interview prime minister Viktor Orbán. But at the moment, as Mediaite reports, Carlson’s political affections are being directed southward, as he’s been broadcasting from Rio de Janeiro, where he recently sat down with far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 29, 2022
Bolsonaro, who has been described as a brutal dictator by many—and a “chubby dictator” by at least one Brazilian media outlet—has made headlines for a variety of reasons during his three-plus-year tenure, including frequent verbal spars with [checks notes] Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s also a fierce opponent of homosexuality, same sex marriage, affirmative action, and abortion, and speaks freely on his many anti- stances. Yet Carlson put on that famously clueless tone he likes to use to express his shock that anyone would have reason to criticize this lovely chap he spoke with via a translator.
Carlson, never missing a chance to throw a potshot at his competitors, commented on how “the parallels between politics in Brazil and politics in the United States are striking to an American,” noting how Bolsonaro is “opposed by a coalition of billionaires, college professors, and CNN… What will Brazil look like if your opponent wins?” The president responded:
The media never gave me any visibility or space. Much to the contrary, they attacked me all the time throughout the campaign. If the left-wing does come back to power, to my view, they’ll never leave power and this country will follow the same path as Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Colombia. Brazil will become one more wagon on that train.
The losers will be the Brazilian population and also the left-wing itself. The left-wing voters will lose as a result.
Suck-Up Carlson only gave a taste of his interview, but promised viewers that it will be “amazing.” Then, of course, he had to editorialize and act as if the Brazilians who have suffered under Bolsonaro—and the media outlets who have criticized him for his controversial views—have got it all wrong. “This will shock you,” Tucker said. “Bolsonaro bears no resemblance whatsoever to the descriptions of Bolsonaro you have read in The New York Times. Completely different person. Seen that before?”
(Via Mediaite)