Tucker Carlson Twists Texas Governor’s Words to Fan Flames of Armed Conflict Between States and Biden Admin
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson mischaracterized the words of Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) to imply that Abbott is preparing for an armed conflict between his state and the federal government.
On Wednesday, Abbott accused President Joe Biden of having “broken the compact” between the United States an the Lone Star State, writing that as a result, he had “declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”
His declaration of authority followed the Supreme Court’s ruling that federal authorities may tear down concertina wire put up along the border by Texas and has inspired frivolous speculation over how the situation might devolve into a standoff between armed forces — or even outright civil war.
Naturally, Carlson attempted to fan the flames of such speculation when he posted an interview he conducted with Abbott on X Friday afternoon along with the following summary:
In an interview from India, Gov. Greg Abbott says ten other states have sent national guard to the Texas border, and others will follow. Abbott says he is “prepared” for a conflict with federal authorities.
In an interview from India, Gov. Greg Abbott says ten other states have sent national guard to the Texas border, and others will follow. Abbott says he is “prepared” for a conflict with federal authorities. pic.twitter.com/F58MLoOsAZ
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 26, 2024
The main problem with that summation is that it’s a complete mischaracterization of what Abbott actually said. Here’s a transcript of the relevant portion of the interview:
CARLSON: But in the next year, are you concerned about any kind of conflict between state forces — whether state employees or National Guard — and federal forces?
ABBOTT: So Tucker, all we can do is be as prepared as possible, deploy as many people as possible, do as much as possible to put up more border barriers, and deny illegal entry. And our head is down. We’re working hard regardless of what the Biden administration is doing.
Yes, Carlson asks about an armed conflict between Texas and the Biden administration. And yes, Abbott responds initially by remarking that he and his team are trying to be “as prepared as possible.” But as he makes clear in the remainder of his answer, he’s preparing “to put up more border barriers, and deny illegal entry” regardless of what the Biden administration does, not preparing for conflict with it.
Abbott decided to reject Carlson’s premise entirely so as to avoid going an irresponsible answer. Carlson’s solution was to attribute such an answer to him anyway.
For Carlson, the prospect civil war might be a fun hook with which to draw in viewers so he doesn’t have to rely on interviews with Catturd or prank calls to bureaucrats. But the rest of us need not reward him with our trust as he stirs up still more needless anger and suspicion for profit.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
