Tucker Carlson’s visit to Russia came as a shock to many, except for Russian propagandists who have been lobbying for his long-held desire to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. . In recent years, RT chief Margarita Simonyan implored the Kremlin to make appropriate arrangements, and state TV host Vladimir Solovyov offered Karlsson a job on his channel Solovyov Live. Like many Putin propaganda activists, Simonyan recognized that Carlson’s softball sit-down with Putin would be an even bigger propaganda boon than years of pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian, and borderline anti-American rhetoric.
Solovyov had to settle for Scott Ritter, but Simonyan may have finally gotten his wish. State media reported that Carlson’s minivan, packed with television equipment, left the hotel and headed for the presidential palace on Monday night. Around the same time, Putin’s motorcade reportedly moved toward the Kremlin.
On Tuesday, Alexei Venediktov, former editor of the Ekho Moscow radio station, wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “As I understand it, Tucker Carlson got what he wanted. “It was,” he hinted.
The timing was clearly chosen to coincide with the upcoming Russian presidential election. This event is just another performance in the Kremlin’s kabuki theater of democracy, and even Putin’s rivals have no real hope of winning, only hoping to stay alive and out of prison. I admit that. But the ability of a prominent American figure to kneel to an international pariah is a perfect opportunity for President Putin to reaffirm his superiority and status.
There is still no confirmation that Mr. Karlsson and Mr. Putin met, the Russian government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. moscow times“Boss [Putin] The president would win the election even without Tucker’s help, but given Carlson’s vast audience, having access to a US audience through Carlson during the bitter battle between Biden and Trump would be in its proverbial place in the US election. This is an opportunity to once again exert influence. “Our propaganda will detonate Mr. Carlson’s words criticizing the Democratic Party, which means that Mr. Carlson will endorse our hawkish line down to the last detail.” Stated.
This was revealed by a person close to the presidential administration. moscow times“Tucker has been expected here for a long time. He’s very welcome here.”
Upon Carlson’s arrival in Moscow, Russian state television media went into a frenzy of detailed coverage, showing him attending a ballet, attending a luncheon, visiting the Kamchatka stand at the National Economic Achievements Exhibition, and riding the subway.During the broadcast of Monday’s national television program 60 minutes, Host Evgeny Popov gleefully declared that Karlsson “charged his smartphone via the USB port and connected to fast and free WiFi internet” while exploring Moscow. Popov added proudly. “The American people cannot even dream of such wonders of civilization!”
Underscoring the depth of Mr. Carlson’s dedication to the Russian cause, state media programs said that in the United States, Mr. Carlson had been called a traitor and that his trip had been compared to Jane Fonda’s 1972 trip to Vietnam. It pointed out. at dawn Channel Solovyov Live, ex new york times Correspondent John Valori enthusiastically exclaimed that Carlson could be “liquidated” at any moment and described him as “Joe Biden’s No. 1 enemy.” In Russia, where the killing and imprisonment of journalists and dissidents is commonplace, the absurd claim that the Biden administration is trying to corner Tucker Carlson might be believed.
During Monday’s broadcast, An evening with Vladimir SolovyovThe host claimed, “The biggest problem in America right now is what to do with Tucker Carlson!” Solovyov claimed that past interviews with Putin by American journalists had been “chopped up,” re-edited and used “out of context.” He raged: “In our journalism, this kind of thing is by definition unacceptable…it’s taboo!” Mr. Solovyov believed that this would not happen because the entire interview between Mr. Karlsson and Mr. Putin could be made public.
Earlier Monday, the Russian Journalists Union recognized the fired Fox News host as one of its own, offering Tucker Carlson to join the organization, pay his dues and abide by its rules.
meanwhile An evening with Vladimir Solovyov, political scientist Sergei Mikheyev said: “A word about Tucker Carlson because he’s a popular guy. I’ve been watching him lately and I think there’s something wrong with his mentality because everyone’s putting so much pressure on him. . His eyebrows are raised and he always looks anxious. He’s looked better than this before.”
“If Mr. Tucker dares to broadcast this interview in the United States, it will first and foremost cause the US information blockade to collapse from within,” Mikheyev said. Mikheyev predicted that Putin’s interview would be more interesting than anything an American politician would say, arguing that both Democratic and Republican elites were “uninteresting and stupid.”
Mikheyev said he was shocked to learn how many Americans believe Michelle Obama was born male. He hinted that if they were gullible enough to believe such things, Mr. Tucker’s interview with Mr. Putin should have some “interesting” consequences. Solovyov added: “It will blow them to pieces!” In a discussion about the United States, Mikheyev wistfully stated, “If God wills, there will be a civil war!”