CNN’s Avlon Directly Connects Tucker Carlson’s ‘Replacement’ Theory to Rhetoric of White Supremacist Mass Shooters
CNN’s John Avlon tore into Tucker Carlson by establishing a connection between violent racists and the Fox News host’s promotion of the “replacement theory.”
Carlson is facing renewed outrage for pushing the racist conspiracy theory held by white supremacists that non-white people are transforming America demographically through immigration and asymmetric birthrates. Fox Executive Chairman Lachlan Murdoch has rejected demands for Carlson to be fired, and the Fox host has mocked the “hysterical” criticism raised against him.
CNN’s New Day held a Reality Check segment about this on Tuesday — with John Berman introducing Avlon by asking “what do you do with a racist theory chanted by white supremacists, embraced by killers, used for hate for generations? Well, if you’re Tucker Carlson, you embrace it again and again and again.”
Sure enough, Avlon ran the footage of Carlson defending the replacement theory, then he aired footage from white supremacists chanting “Jews will not replace us” before the infamous Charlottesville riot of 2017. Avlon also noted that the replacement theory was cited by the perpetrators of the El Paso shooting and the Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand.
“So Tucker should no know the replacement theory’s not disconnected from race and racial violence,” Avlon said. “For Tucker, these facts may not matter. After all, Fox News lawyers argue that no one expects him to tell the truth.”
Avlon went on to dismantle Carlson’s complaints that his political power as a white man is being “diluted” because “they’re importing a brand-new electorate.” He also drew a connection between the Fox host and a speech from the infamous segregationist, former Alabama governor George Wallace.
“Tucker is fanning the flames of a fire already burning,” Avlon said. “There’s a new study of those folks charged in the Capitol riot that found that fear of the ‘great replacement’ may have been a prime driver, including that replacement theory might help explain why such a high percentage of rioters hailed from counties with fast rising non-white populations. Tucker Carlson isn’t playing the bigot, he’s playing to his base.”
“I also don’t think he’s playing anything. I think he is,” Berman chimed in afterwards. “I just think he’s telling us exactly what side he’s chosen here, and I don’t think it’s an act at all at this point.”
Avlon is not alone in connecting Carlson’s remarks to racist mass shooters. The Daily Show recently aired a montage that pointed out the similarities between Carlson’s defenses for the replacement theory and the manifestos left behind by the El Paso and Christchurch killers.
On Thursday, a Fox News Channel spokesperson would not comment beyond pointing to Carlson’s comments saying that what he was describing was not white replacement theory and saying it is a voting rights question.
Watch above, via CNN.
