He said it during his interview with Mike Huckabee, a while ago: “Can you feel the resentment? Because it’s real.” Of course, resentment exists in every society and is based on different factors. But, when it comes to Carlson, I would argue that he nurtures it, feeds on it, exploits it. It has been the emotion he has tapped into for years, fueling his rise in power.

Guilty, until proven innocent

During his interview with Mike Huckabee, Carlson fired one accusation after another about Israel. The American ambassador was forced to respond to each and every one of them, which Ben Sales referred to as an endless game of Whac-A-Mole. And, as was shown, most of what Carlson argued was baseless. It is the hallmark of the conspiracy theorist. Instead of offering sound evidence, the conspiracy theorist simply lobs accusations and forces the object of his ire to defend himself.

When it comes to Israel, Carlson continues to push the boundaries further and further. He suggested DNA testing for Israeli Jews; he argued that Mossad operatives had been arrested in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, leading to the latter even refuting his claims; he suggested that Charlie Kirk had been assassinated by Israel, without offering any evidence; he claims that Christians are persecuted by the State of Israel, again without offering evidence; he recently called Israel one of the ugliest countries in the world, that had not contributed anything beautiful, since 1948 – there is a strong and concise rebuttal offered by an Egyptian man, who had studied in Beirut which easily refutes Carlson’s baseless claims.

This is Carlson’s modus operandi. He never has to offer any evidence, he simply speculates and accuses. It forces the other to constantly defend himself. But this is not the first time he has done this.

In the past, he railed against COVID-19 measures, arguing that the pandemic was not nearly as severe as assumed. As his evidence, he presented two American doctors, who claimed that the pandemic was relatively benign. But in 2023 HuffPost published some of his chat messages with fellow conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who had been on trial for his baseless theories about the Sandy Hook school shooting. As a consequence of the court case, Alex Jones’ phone and its contents were made available to the plaintiff’s attorney. It was shown that both Alex Jones and Tucker Carlson had initially taken the pandemic seriously, with Carlson even trying to persuade President Donald Trump to take more stringent measures. When that did not happen, both Jones and Carlson made an about-face and started railing against the pandemic.

Another example would be his claim that the 2021 Capitol attack was a false flag operation, carried out by undercover FBI agents in the crowd. Another conspiracy theory, while the involvement of far-right organizations such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers was documented. But, again, Carlson operated according to the profile of the conspiracy theorist. He asks numerous questions, sows doubt, and makes unfounded claims. It shows that he is not a journalist either, despite presenting himself as one.

Platforming is not journalism

His good friend Megyn Kelly once told him that she did not want to platform Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was why she did not want to interview him. After all her years in the business, Kelly still does not understand what journalism is, apparently. She should have interviewed Netanyahu – assuming he would have accepted the invitation – what exactly is wrong with that? If she had, she could have done her homework, reviewed his rhetoric, his policies, and then scrutinize them. She could have asked him tough questions, there was no reason for her to placate him and ask him questions that would be to his benefit. But this remark alone shows that Kelly, Carlson or Candace Owens, run political platforms. They can do........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)