Leaning further into his well-known adoration of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and disdain for Ukraine, Tucker Carlson declared in a recent sitdown with NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo that he is “definitely more sympathetic to Putin” than Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky.
The former Fox News star insisted that the reason behind his support of Putin is that Russia is “thriving” under its president’s leadership, claiming that Putin is trying to “make it better” for his nation.
In an interview that will be aired on Cuomo’s NewsNation program on Monday, and the second such “conversation” he’s held with Carlson in the past year, the Fox primetime host turned MAGA podcaster weighed in on the Ukraine war that Russia provoked with its invasion three years ago.
Having regularly labeled Zelensky a “dictator,” an accusation that’s been parroted by President Donald Trump, Carlson also suggested that Putin isn’t an autocrat that has authoritarian rule over Russia.
“Putin does not have absolute control of his country, and there are all kinds of potential rivals. He's been there for 20 years,” he said, prompting the NewsNation anchor to interrupt.
“You sound more sympathetic towards him than towards Zelensky?” Cuomo wondered.
“I am definitely more sympathetic to Putin than Zelensky for the following reason: I think it's fair to judge leaders on how they do for their country,” Carlson reacted. “They have one job. Do a good job for your country. Make it better.”
After Cuomo asked if he really believed that “Russia is doing well,” Carlson replied that it was doing “a lot better than Ukraine,” prompting Cuomo to point out that Ukraine is “under siege right now” by Russia.
“But I'm just saying like Russia, actually, for a country at war, is thriving,” Carlson asserted.
In another preview clip that NewsNation provided, Carlson also doubled down on his anti-immigration absolutism by dismissing the lower crime rates exhibited by migrants. According to the fired Fox News star, even one crime by an undocumented immigrant was “one too many” because they should be in the United States in the first place.
“A single crime by illegal aliens is unacceptable. Illegal Immigration is unacceptable. It's not a real country if you don’t have borders,” he exclaimed, adding: “You're not from here. You're not American. What are you doing here?... You expect me to like it and for me to kiss your a** and for me to give you housing vouchers and food stamps and free education for your kids. What?! I didn't sign up for that.”
While the White House takes on an increasingly pro-Kremlin stance amid talks of a ceasefire (Trump's recent sanction threats against Russia notwithstanding), Carlson continues to lead the charge among the anti-Ukraine MAGA right — a role he has held since even before Russia’s unprovoked invasion.
In fact, in the early days of the war, the Kremlin sent out talking points to state propaganda figures urging them to promote Carlson “as much as possible” on their broadcasts, noting how the then-Fox News host was “sharply” criticizing the United States and its “negative role in unleashing the conflict in Ukraine.”
Carlson’s unrelentingly pro-Russia commentary and criticism of Zelensky eventually landed him a softball interview with Putin himself, which Kremlin state media gushed over — though even Putin felt it was too obsequious and not “aggressive” enough. During his trip to Moscow for the Putin interview, Carlson also filmed several propagandistic videos praising Russia’s economy and infrastructure.
