In a recent turn of events, Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, has launched a scathing critique of Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host.
Cruz, known for his staunch conservative stance, has accused Carlson of straying from the core principles of conservatism. He expressed his concerns on his podcast, "Verdict With Ted Cruz," stating, "Something is wrong with Tucker Carlson. I don't know what the hell's wrong with him."
According to Newsmax, Cruz's criticism of Carlson stems from the latter's controversial commentary on various issues, including his sympathy for Osama bin Laden's family and his questioning of whether Hamas is a terrorist organization. Carlson's views have been deemed "bizarre," "unhinged," and morally indefensible by Cruz, who believes that figures like bin Laden and organizations like Hamas must be unequivocally condemned.
Carlson's recent statements have been a source of concern for Cruz, who has accused him of crossing moral and ideological lines that conservatives have long upheld. "I look at the Tucker today: He's unrecognizable," Cruz said.
"As listeners to this podcast know, I went on Tucker's show. I know Tucker was going to come after me, and sadly do so dishonestly."
Cruz has also likened Carlson's rhetoric to that of liberal Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, suggesting a broader drift away from mainstream conservatism. He shared video clips of Carlson's empathy for terrorists on social media, stating, "Now, @TuckerCarlson doesn't know if Hamas is a terrorist organization. What the hell happened to Tucker?? He's turning into Ilhan Omar."
This latest critique follows previous disagreements between Cruz and Carlson over Israel, which have led to a public rift between the two once-aligned figures on the right. Cruz recalled an interview with Carlson during the week before the bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, where Carlson predicted dire consequences if the United States bombed Iran.
Cruz noted, "Every one of those predictions, we now know the truth: They were laughingly, entirely, totally false."
Cruz also quoted President Donald Trump's response to Carlson's criticism, stating, "I'm the one that decides what America First is, and I'm telling you right now, defending America is America First." According to Cruz, this marked the beginning of Carlson's "downward spiral."
Cruz took issue with Carlson's sympathy for the family of Osama bin Laden, stating, "If people are evil psychotic mass murderers, then society celebrates that they are no longer with us. We're so sorry we took out your psychotic daddy who murdered nearly 3,000 Americans no, we're not sorry."
Cruz also criticized Carlson's questioning of whether Hamas is a terrorist organization, pointing out that Hamas is designated as such by multiple countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Paraguay, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
Cruz accused Carlson of lacking the courage to directly criticize Trump, stating, "He doesn't have the courage, he doesn't have the backbone to actually attack Trump, so he just attacks everything Trump does." Cruz defended Trump's military actions, arguing that they made America safer.
In conclusion, Cruz expressed confusion over Carlson's recent behavior, stating, "I don't know what's going on with Tucker; I don't know what is driving it." He added, "But getting us out of war does not mean that you refuse to defend America." Cruz concluded by saying, "Fine, if Tucker wants to be isolationist, knock yourself out."
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