(PM.) The crowd got to their feet and went wild as soon as Tucker Carlson took the stage at Turning Point Action on Saturday night, and stayed standing and cheering even as he tried to speak. “Tucker! Tucker!” They shouted.
Tucker is a big favorite at Turning Point, and was fresh off of his trip to Iowa, where he interviewed several presidential candidates, grilling them on Ukraine, the state of American cities, education, and other key matters.
Crowd goes absolutely WILD for @TuckerCarlson:
“I don’t think most unemployed people get a reception like that.” 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/yXEyWap2rx
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 15, 2023
Carlson asked the audience to not only question the narrative, but to buck it. He told them outright to not capitulate the truth. There is a pervasive narrative on several key events over the last few years, including the pandemic, January 6, the 2020 presidential election, race, gender, and the war in Ukraine.
The key issues, Carlson posited, that the American people are being lied about are the war in Ukraine, the Covid pandemic, and January 6.
He spoke about having interviewed the field “minus the front runner,” and told the crowd that he is not a fan of politicians. “After spending all day with them,” he said, “I think I’ve learned a couple things.”
“I can think of a couple of those things that are more edifying than savaging Mike Pence,” he said. “The easy things are not rewarding,” he said.
Tucker Carlson jokes about SAVAGING Mike Pence in Iowa 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/XOhqkr4u5X
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 15, 2023
Carlson shared those things with the crowd.
The spread between the things that Republicans in Washington care about and what the rest of the Americans care about are “very different from the things that matter to the people who vote for them,” he said.
This was surprising, he said, given that the Trump presidency happened, during which the people’s voices were heard when they made their concerns known. Now, with Trump out of the White House and the incessant spread of progressive ideology, it’s as though half of the country is being intentionally, effectively silenced.
“Almost everybody in elected office in the Republican party has internalized the other side’s rules for debate,” he said. This is “self-defeating,” because it concedes ground before the debate even begins. It’s as though the GOP says at the outset that they are wrong and so their ideas never get a fair airing.
The conservative side continues to play by the rules of their opposition, as though the progressive left is correct and the GOP is simply trying to gain a little ground. This is not a great way to get an argument across.
“The problem is nobody pushed back on the fundamental terms,” he said as regards the pandemic and the absurd rules that came along with it. The same is true for the war in Ukraine.
“In America, you have the right to decide who you hate,” Carlson said. “As an adult, you get to decide.”
“So it’s totally fair to say ‘wait a second,'” on the Russia question, given that they “haven’t killed any Americans.” A bigger concern for Carlson is fentanyl, and the illegal importation of that drug from Mexico, where much of it is manufactured.
Deaths from overdoses are a more essential issue for Carlson, who spoke directly to 2024 GOP hopeful Mike Pence about the state of American cities. Pence responded that it wasn’t his concern.
