During the opening monologue of his Wednesday night Fox News Channel program, host Tucker Carlson pointed out some of the more ridiculous efforts of the media and talking heads on the left to castigate President Donald Trump for alleged racism.
According to the “Tucker Carlson Tonight” host, the motivations could be to divert attention from wealth and class disparities with race. However, he said a continuation of the effort might lead to “civil war.”
Transcript as follows:
CARLSON: What’s the point at which rhetoric forces action? When do words become incitement? At what point do political attacks become so reckless and unhinged that you can no longer heal the divide they create with politics and force people to something darker? It’s hard to know exactly when that point is, but the left is getting very close to it. We could give you many examples of this, but we’ll begin with this exchange from last night on MSNBC.
Watch as frequent guest Malcolm Nance accuses the president of the United States of sending secret messages to neo-Nazis:
(BEGIN VIDEO)
NANCE: These people feel that they are the foot soldiers and executors of what the disenfranchisement that the white race is feeling and Donald Trump is giving them subliminal orders in their head.
(END VIDEO)
CARLSON: Subliminal orders? Whatever his faults, you can be certain Donald Trump isn’t doing this. Trump is the least subliminal politician in American history. He has no subtext. That’s part of the problem. Of course, if he’s thinking it, he’s saying it. The claim is ludicrous.
But at MSNBC, it wasn’t even the weirdest thing uttered on their air yesterday. That distinction goes to Frank Figluizzi, a former FBI official_turned-talking head-conspiracy nut. He used numerology to explain the President’s coded messages. Watch this, and keep in mind it’s entirely real. We haven’t edited a word:
(BEGIN VIDEO)
FIGULUIZZI: It’s the little things and the language and messaging that matters. The president said that we will fly our flags at half-mast until Aug. 8. That’s 8/8. Now, I’m not going to imply that he did this deliberately, but I am using it as an example of the ignorance of the adversary that’s being demonstrated by the White House. The numbers 88 are very significant in neo-Nazi and white supremacy movement. Why? Because the letter ‘H’ is the eighth letter of the alphabet, and to them the numbers 88 together stand for ‘Heil Hitler.
(END VIDEO)
CARLSON: Got that? Eight is a racist number. That’s what they’re telling you on MSNBC. In other words, things are getting dangerously crazy on the left. How crazy? On Monday, former Jeb Bush spokeswoman Nicolle Wallace explained that President Trump is planning a genocide of Hispanic-Americans. Watch this:
(BEGIN VIDEO)
REYES: He ramped it up again when he said “invasion” and warning people about the caravan. Words like “infestation”. What do you do with an infestation? The natural conclusion is attempt an extermination.
(BREAK)
WALLACE: President Obama, he used the power of the presidency to try to pass comprehensive immigration reform with the Latino community, Latino leaders at the table. And now you have a president, as you say, talking about exterminating Latinos.”
(END VIDEO)
CARLSON: Exterminating Latinos. Keep in mind, Donald Trump got a higher percentage of the Hispanic vote than Mitt Romney did. It turns out that not all Latinos believe in open borders. A lot of them don’t. Some of them agree with Donald Trump on immigration. And yet the left is now telling you — and demanding that you believe — that anyone who supports Donald Trump is a white supremacist, and must be destroyed. They’re telling you that for political reasons. This is election season obviously and they want more political power. But there are other reasons too.
Ever wonder why rich people seem the most hysterical on the subject? Ever notice that it’s the highest-paid people on TV who are the most determined to convince you that white supremacy is America’s biggest problem? Why is that? Simple: Every minute that you’re angry about race is a minute you’re not thinking about class, which of course is the real divide in this country. Working-class people of all colors have a lot more in common with each other than they do with some overpaid MSNBC anchor. If you were allowed to think about that for long enough, you might start to get unauthorized ideas about economics.
That would be disruptive to a very lucrative status quo. So they whip you into a frenzy of racial fear so that it never enters your mind. It’s a diversion. Everyone else hates each other. They get to keep their money. Pretty tricky. Unfortunately, it’s destroying the country. This is the path to civil war, obviously.
So we want to take a second to pass on a sincere message to official Washington, and particularly to our colleagues on the other cable news channels: Please, for the sake of the nation, calm down. Yes, America has problems. Racism is one of those problems. But so is a fading middle class, a terrifying drug epidemic, and a national debt that is growing by a trillion dollars a year.
People realize their country is declining, and it’s making them turn to new political leaders. Donald Trump was one of them. Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are others. This is a time of frustration and it’s a time of change. This is a hard time for America. But America is not on the brink of genocide. It’s not even close. This is not a white supremacist country, plotting the slaughter its own people. It’s a kind country, full of decent people of all races who, who like all people everywhere, make bad decisions from time to time, but mean well and generally try their best.
Going forward, give them the benefit of the doubt, even when you disagree. Maybe especially when you disagree them. These are your fellow Americans. Cut them a break. They deserve it. And remember: The alternative is disaster.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor