Tucker Carlson Dismisses White Supremacy Problem In America As 'A Hoax'

Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday claimed that there is no such thing as a white supremacy problem in the United States. He said, “This is a hoax, just like the Russia hoax. It’s a conspiracy theory used to divide the country and keep a hold on power. That’s exactly what’s going on.”

Carlson downplayed the whole subject of white supremacy, saying that “the whole thing is a lie," and blaming the media and the left for spreading false agendas. “It is actually not a real problem in America,” he added. Carlson explained the statements saying he has "never met a white supremacist."

“I’ve lived here 50 years,” he said. “I’ve never met anybody, not one person, who ascribes to white supremacy. I don’t know a single person who thinks that’s a good idea. They’re making this up.”

Carlson’s comments came days after the El Paso shooting, which killed 20 people. The gunman had posted racist views on a popular fringe message board before the shooting. These views had come under scrutiny, with many media outlets and local community leaders blaming President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric for encouraging white supremacists in the country.

Since making the comments, Carlson, a known conservative, has come under a lot of criticism. CNN’s Don Lemon played a clip of Carlson claiming white supremacy is a hoax and asked, “Was that not the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard?”

MSNBC host Chris Hayes compared the El Paso shooter’s racist manifesto and opinions of Fox News hosts like Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Brian Kilmeade, saying there was "no difference" between them.

Carlson is no stranger to controversy, as he has previously found himself in tight situations for his on-air comments on women, immigrants and journalists. Media Matters recently unearthed a tape of Carlson defending Warren Jeffs, a convicted child sexual abuser and calling women “primitive."

Carlson’s narratives and opinions have been popularly conservative and pro-Republican, with the host dismissing Teen Vogue contributor Lauren Duca’s commentary on Trump by telling her to "stick to the thigh-high boots," in an interview that aired in 2016.

He also faced heat for comments in 2018, when he said immigrants would make the country poorer and dirtier.