Right-Wing “Populists” Like Tucker Carlson Are Just Elitists in Disguise
Seeking to distance himself from rank elitism, Tucker Carlson called conservative luminary William F. Buckley one of the “great villains of the 20th century.” He’s right — but Carlson himself hasn’t broken with Buckley’s contempt for the working class.
Tucker Carlson speaks at the Turning Point Action conference on July 15, 2023 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
On a recent episode of his show, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro bemoaned the existence of a faction “on the Right,” who he said “sound very much like Noam Chomsky” and “very much like Bernie Sanders.” A flustered Shapiro said he didn’t know what to make of this phenomenon “other than . . . they’re just wrong.”
To illustrate this alarming development, Shapiro played a clip of former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson being introduced by libertarian podcaster and comedian Dave Smith. At one point in the clip, Smith brings up one of the most prominent figures in the twentieth-century American right: William F. Buckley.
Smith: I view Bill Buckley as one of, like, the great villains of the twentieth century.
Carlson [sounding very excited]: I couldn’t agree more.
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