- Tucker Carlson criticized then-president Trump on his prime time show for breaking campaign promises.
- Carlson mocked Trump’s habit of calling to head off on-air attacks, The New York Times reported.
- In one instance, Carlson declined a call from Trump, a Fox News employee told The New York Times
Despite promoting Donald Trump’s platform issues on his prime time television show, Fox News host Tucker Carlson privately mocked the former president, according to reporting by The New York Times.
Carlson, who has topped ratings charts with his inflammatory rhetoric surrounding immigration, white supremacy and replacement theory, has some connection to Trump, though the nature of their relationship is unknown. Carlson has, on occasion, criticized Trump and his policies, despite generally promoting his presidency on prime time.
Carlson also influenced Trump’s decision to endorse JD Vance, Rolling Stone reported, and the former president regularly appears on Fox News shows, including “Hannity.” But The New York Times reported that Carlson criticized Trump for breaking campaign promises on-air and, on at least one occasion, declined a call from the former president, who had called to pre-empt criticism of a foreign-policy move.
“In private, Mr. Carlson mocked the president’s habit of calling to head off his on-air attacks,” The New York Times reported.
Justin Wells, a senior executive producer of Tucker Carlson Tonight told Insider: “Tucker Carlson programming embraces diversity of thought and presents various points of view in an industry where contrarian thought and the search for truth are often ignored. Stories in Tucker Carlson Tonight broadcasts and Tucker Carlson Originals documentaries undergo a rigorous editorial process. We’re also proud of our ongoing original reporting at a time when most in the media amplify only one point of view.”
In his Thursday show, Carlson lambasted the reporting of The New York Times, but did not comment on his relationship with Trump.