Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson went after the Biden administration and the mainstream media in its attacks of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid continuous rising tensions in Ukraine.
Members of both parties have said they want to see Russia punished for what the White House is now calling an ‘invasion’ of Ukraine – after Putin announced Monday he would consider two Russia-backed separatist territories independent from Ukraine, and ordered troops there under the guise of ‘peacekeeping functions.’
Speaking above a chyron that read ‘Anything less than hating Putin is treason,’ Carlson denounced the attempts to make Putin a ‘boogeyman’ wondering out loud what exactly he’d done to the United States, despite having referred to both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as ‘tyrants’ just a day earlier.
‘Since the day that Donald Trump became president, Democrats in Washington told you, you have a patriotic duty to hate Vladimir Putin,’ Carlson said on his top-rated cable show ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ Tuesday. ‘It’s not a suggestion – it’s a mandate. Anything less than hatred for Putin is treason.’
‘Many Americans have obeyed this directive,’ he continued. ‘They now dutifully hate Vladimir Putin. Maybe you’re one of them. Hating Putin has become the central purpose of America’s foreign policy. It’s the main thing that we talk about. Entire cable channels are now are devoted to it.’
Tucker Carlson criticized Joe Biden and members of both parties for attempting to foment anti-Putin sentiment on his show Tuesday night
Carlson accused the president and vice president of believing American lives will be worth sacrificing for their hatred of the Russian president
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin gives comments to the media after a ceremony to sign a declaration on allied cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan at Moscow’s Kremlin
President Joe Biden speaks on developments in Ukraine and Russia, and announces sanctions against Russia, from the East Room of the White House February 22
Carlson seemed to disdain the possibility that the United States could be drawn into war over this anti-Putin sentiment.
‘Before that happens, it might be worth asking ourselves – since it is getting pretty serious – what is this really about?’
The host then put out a long list of potential American problems and grievances that Putin is not responsible for.
‘Why do I hate Putin so much? Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him? Has he shipped every middle class job in my town to Russia? Did he manufacture a worldwide pandemic that wrecked my business and kept me indoors for two years? Is he teaching my children to embrace racial discrimination? Is he making fentanyl? Is he trying to snuff out Christianity? Does he eat dogs? These are fair questions, and the answer to all of them is no. Vladimir Putin didn’t do any of that.’
Carlson then argued that Biden is indebted to Ukrainian oligarchs and therefor, everyone must go along with the president’s hatred of Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses his nation on Tuesday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen as he visits the border troops in Donetsk
Biden again strongly condemned Putin’s actions in Ukraine Tuesday, and detailed sanctions against senior Russian figures – which were swiftly laughed off by the Russian ambassador to the U.S.
‘Russia has moved supplies of blood and medical equipment into position on their border,’ said Biden, speaking from the White House.
‘You don’t need blood unless you plan on starting a war.’
There are believed to be 100,000-190,000 Russian troops surrounding Ukraine, and on Tuesday a huge military convoy of more than 100 military trucks with soldiers was also seen heading towards the Ukrainian border.
Satellite photos showed the construction of what appeared to be a field hospital in Belgorod, Russia – 50 miles from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
The site already had shown evidence of troops and equipment.
Another satellite image shows a housing area for troops and a field hospital at Zyabrovka air base in Belarus.
Biden announced in Tuesday remarks sanctions on two Russian banks and cut off western money and previewed there is more to come after Putin broke ‘international law’ by moving his forces into Ukraine
Putin, pictured on Tuesday, said he had not yet decided whether to send in troops – but photos showed he already had, with tanks rolling through Donetsk
A satellite image shows a housing area for troops and a field hospital at Zyabrovka air base in Belarus
A satellite image shows troop tents and a field hospital in Novoozernoye, Crimea
More troop tents and a field hospital have been pictured in Novoozernoye, Crimea.
The Pentagon has previously acknowledged the deployment of ‘medical support’ as part of Russia’s buildup.
‘It doesn’t guarantee that there’s going to be another attack, but you would not execute another attack unless you have that in hand,’ said Ben Hodges, a retired U.S. lieutenant general now with the Center for European Policy Analysis research institute.
The Russian maneuvering comes as Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba pushed back against Biden’s remark from last month.