On Monday evening, Tucker Carlson devoted his Fox News show to informing his audience about what’s really important: not defending democracy, and not saving human lives, that’s for sure. During a discussion about Ukraine, Carlson announced his utter indifference to the slaughter of civilians and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Why do I care?” said Carlson. “Why do I care what's going on in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? I'm serious." But that still didn’t make Carlson’s position quite as plain as he wanted. So he made it plainer. “Like, why do I care? And why shouldn't I root for Russia? Which I am.”
Carlson blew off suggestions that the United States has an interest in defending democracy against totalitarian regimes. He responded to concerns about Russia’s invasion, about people dying, and about democracy under threat the same way: “I don’t care.”
But there was something that Carlson cared about. “Now,” he said, “I know Hunter Biden, I actually like Hunter Biden, but that's totally corrupt, and you know it.”
In his statements, Carlson is not out in far-far-right field all on his own. He’s solidly beside Donald Trump. After all, in his testimony last week, Foreign Service officer David Holmes testified about how U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland described Trump’s concerns. According to Sondland, Trump also had absolutely no concern about the threat to Ukraine. "Ambassador Sondland stated that the president only cares about big stuff," said Holmes. “He meant big stuff that benefits the president like the Biden investigation."
Carlson cheering on the destruction of an ally should be shocking. But it’s not. It’s the standard Republican position. It’s been the standard Trump position since he made clear his admiration for Vladimir Putin well before his election. and now that there’s no Republican Party outside of Trump’s, “Rootin’ for Putin” is the official Republican team motto.
And of course they’re doing it, because the priority is destroying political opponents. Does Tucker Carlson have to spell out that they hate democracy? Oh, wait … he already did.