Tucker Carlson Sparks Conservative Fury

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has sparked conservative ire on social media after going after Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican.

On Wednesday evening, Carlson posted an episode of his show Tucker Carlson Uncensored, in which he discussed the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border with Jesse Kelly, a conservative talk radio host, on X, formerly Twitter.

"Why do the reddest states produce the dumbest, most liberal Republicans? Why aren't [Republican Texas Sen.] John Cornyn and Dan Crenshaw bagging groceries at Walmart? Jesse Kelly has thought about this," Carlson wrote alongside the video.

Republicans in Congress have continued to fight for stricter border security as the number of illegal migrant crossings increases. So far there have been 1,340,801 U.S. Customs and Border Protection encounters at the southern border in the 2024 fiscal year, which started last October.

Support to protect Ukraine's border against Russian aggression has dwindled among GOP lawmakers. Additional aid for Kyiv in its fight against President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion, which was launched in February 2022, has been stalled by some Republicans. However, there are other members of the GOP, such as Crenshaw and Cornyn, who have shown support for the war-torn nation.

In response to Newsweek's email request for comment, Kelly said, "I stopped reading after 'reporter from Newsweek.'"

Newsweek has also reached out to the Tucker Carlson Network, Crenshaw's office, and Cornyn's office via email for comment.

During his interview, Carlson asked Kelly, "Why is it that Republican states tend to have the least sincere Republican, like Dan Crenshaw[...]how does a guy like that get elected in a supposedly Republican state?"

"Well, complacency. And yeah, life being good makes us soft," Kelly responded, "The reddest states in this country. Give us the most putrid Republicans at the federal level."

He continued: "Why does that happen? Because the GOP primary voter in red states lives at a relatively normal place. He lives in comfort. He thinks he's got a red legislature. So, he either doesn't vote in primaries—that's mostly the case…or even worse, he goes to vote for senator dork who he sees on Fox News every time."

Crenshaw responded to Carlson's post on Wednesday, writing, "Why aren't you bagging groceries in Moscow?"

In February, Carlson was mocked for praising Russian grocery stores on a trip to Moscow to interview Putin. While at a local store, Carlson went on a rant about the high cost of groceries in the U.S. compared to Russia.

"Seeing what things cost [in Russia] and how people live, it will radicalize you against our leaders. That's how I feel, anyway—radicalized," he said in the video.

Other conservatives backed Crenshaw, including Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain.

She said that Crenshaw "is a navy seal who got his eye blown out in combat defending American freedom overseas. At what point is this just flat out unpatriotic and disrespectful to our veterans—and from a guy who claims to be the most 'America first' a****** on the internet."

Meghan McCain's father was also a member of the U.S. Navy who sustained injuries after being held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Crenshaw's former chief of staff, Justin Discigil, also responded to Carlson's post, writing, "Because—and see if you can follow me here, Tucker—conservative voters are not as stupid as you think (and hope) they are. They actually appreciate their leaders being honest with them, not subservient to washed-up cable news hosts who shame themselves regularly online."

"Tucker interviews a colossal moron about two smart people, because that's what he's become—King of the Knuckle-Draggers. It's amazing people can subscribe to his channel because I'm surprised they have money left over after their monthly spend on [adult website] OnlyFans," wrote John Podhoretz, editor of Commentary, a Jewish news outlet, and ex-speechwriter for former President Ronald Reagan and former President George H. W. Bush.

Philip Reichert, a U.S. Army Intelligence and U.S. Intelligence Community veteran and conservative writer, posted: "The man who was wowed by Russian grocery carts wonders why an accomplished legislator and decorated SEAL isn't bagging groceries at Walmart?"

Update: 4/18/2024, 2:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 4/19/2024, 6:35 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a response from Jesse Kelly.