Over the last 48 hours, liberals and many in the media have called for Fox News host Tucker Carlson to be fired after the host said on Tuesday night that white supremacism is “not a real problem in America.”

But Carlson isn’t known to back down to liberal outrage–and this instance was no different. On his show Wednesday night, Carlson punched back against the left’s “frenzy of racial hatred” and claimed it threatens the country. He said, “This is the path to Civil War, obviously.”

The host showed several MSNBC clips, in which he argued the hosts and commentators were seizing on his comments to sow racial divide.

Carlson said, “The left is now telling you and demanding that you believe that anyone who supports Donald Trump is a white supremacist. And they must be telling you this for political reasons. They want more political power. But there are other reasons too that they are saying this. Ever wonder why rich people seem the most hysterical on the subject? Ever notice that it is the highest-paid people on television who are the most determined to tell you that white supremacy is America’s biggest threat? Every moment you’re worried about race is a moment where you are not thinking about class. Working class people have a lot more in common, infinitely more in common with each other than they do some overpaid MSNBC anchor.”

He continued, “So, they whip you into a frenzy of racial fear so that it never enters your mind. It’s a diversion, Everyone hates each other and they get to keep their money. Pretty tricky. Unfortunately, it’s also destroying the country. This is the path to civil war, obviously.”

Carlson ended with a message to DC politicians and talking television heads: “We want to take a second to pass on sincere message to officials in  Washington and, particularly to our colleagues on the other cable news channels. And it’s this: ‘Please, for the sake of the nation, calm down.”

Jesus Christ, Tucker Carlson just said that calling out and criticizing white supremacy is leading us down “the path to civil war. Obviously” pic.twitter.com/LEz7IUQRsO

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) August 8, 2019

Following Carlson’s initial comments, #FireTuckerCarlson was trending on twitter. Susan Rice, former President Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor, sounded off against the Fox News host. “He’s a disgrace,” Rice said. “So let’s move on.”

Even one of Carlson’s own colleagues at Fox, Shep Smith, took a shot at him. Smith deliberately commented on the “unmistakable rise of white nationalism and white racism in America.”

Shepard Smith strikes a drastically different tone to colleague Tucker Carlson, commenting on the “unmistakable rise of white nationalism and white racism in America” pic.twitter.com/bebmmFco28

— Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) August 7, 2019

 

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