Tucker Carlson speaks onstage during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on Oct. 21, 2018 in Los Angeles. Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon

By Adam Kovac June 7, 2023

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News anchor known for including white supremacist talking points in his broadcasts, began his new Twitter-based show by attacking the Jewish president of Ukraine.

Carlson opened the first edition of the new Tucker on Twitter broadcast with a lengthy monologue about recent developments in the Ukraine-Russia war. Addressing the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine that threatened drinking water supplies for both sides, Carlson called the incident “an act of terrorism” if it was done intentionally. 

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It’s wild to see what a fish out of water he is on the internet: no jump cuts, no background music, no catchy thumbnail or video title. Not sure how he’s going to stack up against even an average streamer or youtuber. https://t.co/oXQhql3jU4

— Taylor Lorenz -- FOLLOW ME ON LINKEDIN (@TaylorLorenz) June 7, 2023

Both sides have accused the other of destroying the dam, which may also have collapsed due to structural neglect. Though the dam was located in Russian-controlled territory, its destruction threatened land on both sides.

But Carlson laid the blame squarely at the feet of the Ukrainian government, saying “any fair person would conclude the Ukrainians probably blew it up.”

Carlson did not cite any actual journalistic sources in making the claim. He then launched into a personal attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, describing him as “sweaty and rat-like, a comedian turned oligarch, a persecutor of Christians, a friend of (American investment giant) Black Rock.”

It’s not the first time that Carlson has used antisemitic language while talking about Zelenskyy. During his tenure at Fox, Carlson claimed that Zelenskyy was waging an “ongoing war against Christianity.”

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Carlson has also been a vocal proponent of great replacement theory, an antisemitic conspiracy theory that posits that elites — frequently Jews — are changing the demographics of the United States as part of a bid to reduce the power of white Americans. In April 2021, while Carlson was still at Fox News, the Anti-Defamation League called for his firing due to such rhetoric, with ADL President Jonathan Greenblatt saying his words had “deadly significance.”

The first episode in Carlson’s new show on Twitter also gestured at many other well-known conspiracy theories during its 10-minute runtime, including referencing an alleged government and media coverup of the existence of aliens, the real story of John F. Kennedy’s assassination and “what exactly happened on 9/11.”

In January, a former Carlson producer filed a lawsuit against him and Fox News, alleging that colleagues working on Carlson’s show regularly made antisemitic comments. 

Carlson, who for years was one of Fox News’ highest-rated and most popular hosts, was suddenly fired in April, just days after the company agreed to a $787.5 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by voting machine company Dominion. During the discovery process, numerous text messages from Fox News hosts, including Carlson, were made public. In them, Carlson revealed thoughts that were at odds with the positions he put forth on air, including disgust with former president Donald Trump. Carlson also expressed anger over a video of Trump supporters attacking “an Antifa kid,” saying “It’s not how white men fight.”

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