American presenter Tucker Carlson, who is close to Donald Trump, dealt a major blow on Tuesday when he announced that he would soon conduct an interview with Vladimir Putin.
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“We are here to interview the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin,” the conservative star said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Tucker Carlson is a star presenter in the USA who was recently fired from Fox News and is very popular among conservatives. He has since hosted a show that is being rebroadcast on X.
Under the helm of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” between 2016 and 2023, the 50-year-old had become one of the most influential voices in conservative America, accused of popularizing conspiracy and racist theories.
The journalist is also known to be very close to Donald Trump, the former Republican president who is on track to face Joe Biden in the American presidential election in November.
The presenter did not specify exactly when the interview with Vladimir Putin would take place and when it would be broadcast. “We will do that soon,” he simply said.
There have been rumors about the possibility of this interview taking place, and several Telegram channels have reported in recent days about the presence of Tucker Carlson in the Russian capital, Moscow.
“Our homework”
In his four-minute video, the presenter explained all the reasons that led him to request this interview.
“That’s why we do this,” he said. “Firstly, it is our duty to inform people because it is our job, we do journalism.”
“Most Americans are uninformed, they have no idea what is happening in the region, here in Russia or 600 miles away in Ukraine. However, they should know because they pay a large part of it,” he said.
In recent months, Tucker Carlson has more than once criticized American support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian offensive.
This support is also the subject of heated debates in the US Congress, where Republicans close to Donald Trump are refusing to release the new funds to Kiev, as President Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky have urged.
He recorded a speech that was hostile to the mainstream media and vilified by many on the right, claiming that the population of English-speaking countries was poorly informed about the war in Ukraine and its consequences.
“They think nothing has really changed. And they think that because no one has told them the truth. Their media is corrupt,” he said.
He particularly criticized the interviews that the American media conducted with President Zelensky, calling them “disgusting.” He stated that he himself had requested an interview with Mr. Zelensky.
Tucker Carlson also discussed some of the arrangements surrounding the interview, including claiming to have paid for his own trip.
“Conducting such an interview obviously involves risks. So we thought about it carefully for several months,” he said.
“We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin. We are here because we love America. We want them to remain prosperous and free,” he concluded.