Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said he plans to help build a third political party, claiming the country’s leaders have stopped focusing on the needs of ordinary Americans.
Speaking with the Columbia Journalism Review, Carlson said he believes there should be a “good-faith effort” to create a political movement centered on improving life for Americans rather than fighting over foreign conflicts.
“I’m going to help build a third party. There should be a good-faith effort to figure out what benefits the country,” Carlson said. “I mean, if you make $60,000 a year, you’re degraded. Your life expectancy has gone down, and the promise of your children’s lives is likely gone. No one seems to care. It’s not even a factor.”
He also criticized what he sees as Washington’s focus on overseas issues instead of domestic problems.
“What about Hamas?” Carlson said. “I officially don’t care about Hamas. The U.S. government should have, as its first priority, the welfare of its own people.”
Despite saying he wants to help build a new political party, Carlson said he has no plans to run for office himself.
“I don’t want to be a candidate,” he said.
Carlson did not provide details about what the proposed third party would look like or when any formal effort to organize it might begin.
Carlson rejected the idea that he is ‘strategically” positioning himself against traditional conservative media, saying his editorial decisions are driven by instinct rather than strategy.
“I’m not strategic in any way. I make almost all decisions on the basis of smell and instinct. I have no real idea who watches our show. I’m sure there are people who work here who have, or claim to have, a better sense of who the audience is,” Carlson responded.
When asked if he still speaks with President Donald Trump, Carlson said he has cut off contact with Trump since the conflict with Iran began.
“I haven’t spoken to him since the regime-change war began. I’m not interested in talking to him. I feel sorry for him. He’s not a man in charge of his own life at this point,” Carlson said.
Carlson distanced himself from the Republican Party during the Israel-Iran conflict, saying in June he could no longer support a party that, in his view, puts the interests of a foreign country ahead of those of American citizens. He also criticized the Trump administration for focusing on the Middle East instead of strengthening ties with Canada, which he called the United States’ closest and most important ally.
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