“We are experiencing before our eyes the end of the post-war order of things and many things that we thought were certain, are no longer”. The specific phrase does not belong to a politician, academic or diplomat but to the American journalist Tucker Carlson, who lately seems to be independent from the role of influencer, seeking to express the movement politically.
Influence
The latest episode in Carlson’s intense activity is the news that he will participate in an under-established precious metals trading company, in collaboration with his partner and personal gold seller, Chris Olson. The move is not an economic paradox, since it is linked to the increased investment interest in gold, in a period characterized by mistrust of national currencies due to inflation. But it is considered a political move, since Carlson, who has repeatedly declared his disdain for central banks (calling them a “fraud”), maintains a privileged relationship with his millions of followers on social media, thus having a high margin of leverage and consequently a guaranteed prospect of profitability.
Reasonable questions arise about Carlson’s ability to make a multifaceted impact on the general public, particularly the narrow core of MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters associated with his rise to power. It is worth noting that he himself – until 2023 presenter of the conservative FoxNews network – has managed to forge a relationship of trust with all the “tribes” of the irrational movement.
UFO supporters, theorists of the racist “Great Replacement” theory, Holocaust deniers have been hosted on his shows. But also personalities of international scope, from the Iranian president Mesoud Pezheskian to the professor of international relations, John Mearsheimer and the star of the American television, Charlie Sheen.
Patterns and opportunities
The pattern is the same, with Carlson resorting to a theatrical, investigative style in general questions, trying to elicit answers from his interlocutors, without completely identifying with their often extreme positions. The central message that is extracted, however, is the same and unparalleled: the truth is being hidden by the passive elites who dominate American politics. These differ, depending on the political stake. During Trump’s first term, primary targets were Democrats, “identity politics” and immigrants.
Now, Washington’s close relationship with Tel Aviv and the so-called “deep state” of American diplomacy has come under sharp criticism. In this context, Carlson does not hesitate to distance himself from Trump’s policy towards Iran, without the absence of anti-Semitic allusions (such as reproducing baseless accusations against the Jewish tycoon George Soros).
After all, it hasn’t been long since the same man caused a nationwide uproar with the interview of the far-right influencer, defender of white supremacy. Or when he hosted infamous conspiracy theorist Candace Owens on his show, who, in addition to her hostile stance towards Israel, is in a legal dispute with the French presidential couple after she claimed that the First Lady of France was born a man (!).
It’s an impressive turnaround if you consider Carlson’s resume, which includes early-career stints at some of the bastions of liberal journalism, including MSNBC and CNN. But perfectly understandable if you consider that its rise coincided with the rise of a series of alternative media that allowed for a more personalized information, outside the filters of traditional journalism and conducive to intolerant discourse.
The emblematic example of the murdered, subconservative influencer Charlie Kirk and the lure of the presidency that the 31-year-old bequeathed to the “MAGA people” create additional incentives for his descendants. Carlson projects as one of them, with political commentator John Ganz pointing out in an interview that he should now be considered an active political figure, with ambitions of ideological leader of the Republican Party.
According to him, Carlson most eloquently represents the alliance of the demographically declining “white America” with traditional racists and the working class stressed by the high speeds of the digital age. “You don’t have to be president to be a MAGA leader,” adds New York Times reporter Ezra Klein emphatically.
