Putin and the Propagandist
Tucker Carlson visits Russia and interviews Putin
On February 6, 2024, Tucker Carlson interviewed Vladimir Putin from the Kremlin in Moscow. It was streamed on Tucker’s own network, creatively named “Tucker Carlson Network.” Yes, that was sarcasm. As of this writing, Tucker’s interview on his YouTube channel has over 17 million views and over 125 million views from his post on X (formerly known as Twitter). I suddenly started to hear something very disturbing after his interview from Trump supporters:
“Putin isn’t so bad after all!”
Yes, some Americans are beginning to see Putin as a “good guy.”
As horrifying as it sounds that hard-working American “patriots” are falling in love with an autocrat, it’s not surprising either. Trump has been playing the role of dictator-in-chief since 2017. His fans have already been groomed to hate democratic values and everything that makes America “great.” Tucker’s interview had one goal: get Americans to embrace autocratic governments. As Ruth Ben-Ghiat states, “this is part of the slow-moving coup.”
Tucker also made videos walking around Russia in an attempt to show what every day life is like in Russia. He made a special video showcasing beautiful Russian train stations while contrasting the graffiti decorated subways in New York City. Who wouldn’t want to live there?! It’s beautiful! Yes, forget that human rights and free speech is not recognized in Russia. Forget that the average citizen has a net worth of 1/5 of the average American’s. Let’s all move to Russia!
Video of Tucker Carlson touring the train station in Russia. Credit: @TuckerCarlson via YouTube.
But at least the trains ran on time.
That’s a dog whistle. The trains always ran on time in Nazi Germany. Also, that phrase is meant to show that despite all of the corruption and murder committed by the leader, the country functioned better under a Strongman. This is obviously not true; autocrats thrive in chaotic environments. Their supporters are programmed, blood-thirsty fascists ready to pounce when given an order. The resistors suffer from PTSD due to living under a state of constant surveillance and fear. Plus, no one would dare tell the supreme leader that a train was late. That person may wind up falling out of a window, or dead in a Siberian prison like Alexei Navalny. But hey, Putin is a good guy. Ammirite?