Tucker Carlson Is The ‘De Facto Leader’ Of The Republican Party, Reporter Says
With Donald Trump out of the White House, reporter Curt Mills believes that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is now the unofficial leader of the Republican Party.
“No, I think its de facto leader is Tucker Carlson. he (now) has the largest platform,” he tweeted when pressed on whether Trump was still heading the coalition.
Earlier, the reporter claimed in another tweet that the populist wing of the GOP is essentially the only significant part of the coalition. He compared the dynamic to the Democratic Party, which he said was “more complex.”
In a piece for The American Conservative, Mills argued that Carlson recently made his first “post-Trump play” in his purported new role using a monologue on his show.
“Several elements of Carlson’s monologue — which was swiftly lapped up by the faithful on social media — distinguish him from his forebears. He’s also drawn lines for potential rivals to cross, if they dare.”
Mills pointed to the commentator’s willingness to take aim at mainstream conservatives, his attacks on neoconservatives, and his rejection of “whataboutism.”
“If Carlson is a messenger of the right, he is like Trump, or even Ronald Reagan before him, an eclectic one. With a toehold in the entertainment world, he is a performer with a wide friend network, and a bespoke ideology that he means to popularize.”
The Washington Post echoed Mills and said the commentator is making his play to represent Trump’s MAGA legacy.
As The Inquisitr reported, Carlson supposedly had dinner with former president George W. Bush earlier this week at a neighbor’s home in Gasparilla Island, Florida. The purported meet-up came after months of speculation that the television personality is a frontrunner for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination. Back in July, reports suggested that the GOP was awash in speculation of a possible Carlson presidential bid.
Elsewhere, The Guardian called Carlson the “heir apparent” to the former U.S. leader’s legacy. The publication highlighted that Trump frequently retweeted content from the commentator’s show and noted the parallels between the program and the former president’s policies and political beliefs. The outlet also underlined that Carlson — like Trump — has faced criticism for stoking racial tensions and has received attention from white supremacists. Notably, the Neo-Nazi website Stormfront claimed that the host is its greatest ally.
Nevertheless, Sam Nunberg, a Republican political consultant who advised the former head of state, claimed that any Republican candidate opposing Carlson should be worried about his strength and influence within the party.
