Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has rejected Republican mask mandate fears, while predicting that President Joe Biden will instead declare war on Russia to "maintain power" in 2024.
A recent spike in COVID-19 cases has prompted many on the right to speculate that the Biden administration will impose a mask mandate, with some supporters of former President Donald Trump having launched a "we will not comply" movement.
There is no evidence to suggest that Biden or the federal government is actually planning to impose a mask mandate. The few mandates in place are at private facilities scattered around the country, such as hospitals.
During an interview on The Adam Carolla Show on Wednesday, Carlson said that Biden will be desperate to win in 2024 and willing to "do anything to win" to avoid the possibility that Trump could seek revenge for his recent criminal indictments.
However, Carlson said that the current president would not "do COVID again" and impose a mask mandate because "they" had already been "exposed," despite Trump—not Biden—having been in power when the virus and the pandemic emerged.
"If your goal is to maintain power ... once you start indicting your political opponents, you know you have to win, or else they're going to indict you if they win," Carlson said. "So, they can't lose. They will do anything to win."
"They're not going to do COVID again," he continued. "I know everyone on the right's afraid they're going to do COVID and mask mandates. They're not going to do that. They can't do that. If they've already been exposed, that won't work."
Carlson then suggested that the Biden administration would instead attempt to maintain power by starting a "hot war" with Russia before the election, arguing that the U.S. was "already at war" with Russian President Vladimir Putin's government due to funding Ukraine.
"What are they gonna do? They're gonna go to war with Russia," said Carlson. "There will be a hot war between the United States and Russia in the next year ... I don't think we'll win it."
"As a political matter, they need to assume war footing," he added. "I would bet my house on it: We are going to war with Russia."
Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House via email on Friday night.
Carlson went on to say that those who want to avoid war should "put as much pressure as you possibly can on the Republican-held Senate to force peace." The Senate has been controlled by Democrats since 2021. Carlson may have meant to say the House, of which Republicans took control in January.
While Biden has consistently offered support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, he has been careful to avoid risking a direct conflict. Trump has signaled that he favors allowing Russia to keep occupied territory, such as Crimea, while claiming that he could end the war "in 24 hours."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
