Tucker Carlson Reportedly Admired By Members Of White Supremacist Organization
Famous Fox News host Tucker Carlson is popular in white nationalist circles and admired by alleged members of one of America’s best-known white supremacist organizations, according to a new report from Media Matters.
The progressive media watchdog group obtained a trove of chat messages from a Discord server reportedly used by members of neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization Identity Evropa. A review of hundreds of chat messages containing Carlson’s name demonstrates that the host is adored by many of the far-right group’s members.
The Discord server in question is focused on “optics” — rebranding white nationalism in order to make it more appealing to the masses. For many of the server’s members, Tucker Carlson is a key figure in introducing the public with white supremacist ideas, the chat messages show.
Alleged Identity Evropa members, according to Media Matters, have coined a special nickname for Carlson: “Tuck.” The host’s popularity and ubiquitous presence in mainstream right-wing media is apparently seen by members of the Discord server as key for promoting extremist ideas.
In their correspondence, some users describe Carlson as “a lone voice of reason in the media,” calling him “our guy” (a phrase used to describe an individual with extremist views expressed by the group, borrowed from 4chan). The leaked chats show dozens of alleged Identity Evropa members praising Carlson for subtly propagandizing the public, and pushing white supremacist talking points.
The white nationalist group Identity Evropa is so cozy with the Republican Party that members led their College Republican clubs and campaigned in support of GOP congressional candidates https://t.co/2CEaveVaNX
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 9, 2019
Tucker Carlson, according to alleged Identity Evropa members, “normalizes” white supremacist talking points, and “knows exactly” what he is doing to “nudge people further to the right.” Media Matters notes that this is an apparent reference to Carlson’s reporting about demographic changes in the United States.
The extremists frequently note that Tucker Carlson is “doing divine work” by expanding the spectrum of acceptable public opinion, and introducing wider audience to fringe ideas related to white nationalism, neo-Nazism, and white supremacy. Tucker’s ideas are, according to the leaked messages, “on the edge of the acceptable.”
The messages also show that alleged members of the extremist group consider Carlson an ally in their effort to expose President Donald Trump — known to be an avid watcher of Fox News — to racist ideologies. According to Media Matters, their theory holds water because Carlson pushed a white nationalist narrative about South African farmers during an episode of his show, which resulted in a Trump tweet repeating the host’s talking points.
This is not the first time for Tucker Carlson to be indirectly connected to white supremacist groups. A 2018 BuzzFeed News investigation revealed that the Fox News host’s name is mentioned on prominent white supremacist websites far more frequently than any other cable pundits.
