‘The Actual F*ck, What!?’ Ben Shapiro Goes Nuclear on Tucker-Trump ‘Propaganda’ Interview

The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro tore into Tucker Carlson’s “softball” interview with former president Donald Trump that aired during the first Republican primary debate in a frustrated rant on Thursday.

“The nature of this particular interview was just Tucker not asking him anything remotely difficult,” asserted Shapiro, who took particular offense to a question Carlson asked Trump about his own vice president, Mike Pence.

“Tucker has principles, obviously. He speaks about them regularly. This would have been a great opportunity for him to ask the former president and leading Republican candidate about some of those principles,” said Shapiro. “He didn’t do any of it.”

The takedown continued in earnest with Shapiro going nuclear over an “insane” Pence question.

“I mean, how soft were the softballs that Tucker was throwing to Donald Trump?” he raged. “He asked Donald Trump to rip on Mike Pence by suggesting that Donald Trump had always been very nice to Mike Pence. This question is so bizarre. I, like, I don’t even know what to say about this.”

In the clip, Carlson asks, Trump: “You’ve always been nice to Pence, I’ve never heard you criticize Pence, you defended him in public many, many times, he’s out there attacking you, um, what is that?”

“What?!” shouted Shapiro over top of the clip playing, letting out a serious of incredulous noises over the framing.

Trump has relentlessly attacked Pence over the last year, calling him “liddle,” “delusional,” and “not a very good person,” among other insults.

Shapiro said the question was “absurd.”

“‘You’ve always been nice to Mike Pence’? The actual f*ck, What! What!” said the Daily Wire host before summarizing Trump’s attempts to get him to overturn the results of the 2020 election, characterization of Pence as a “coward,” and inaction as a mob chanting “Hang Mike Pence” closed in on Pence’s position.

“Uh, he was always, ‘you were always very nice to Mike Pence’ is one of the craziest Orwellian statements I have ever heard. ‘You were always very nice to Mike Pence’ is an insane statement. That’s, that’s like truly, that’s a crazy, crazy question,” he said. “But that was the nature of this, uh, that was the nature of this interview. Which again, softball interview on Twitter, did it counter program Fox? Not really. You know, I watched both. I doubt very many people actually did.”

The critique continued, with Shapiro pointing out what Carlson could or should have asked but didn’t.

“The question to Trump should be: okay, how are you going to un-steal it? Right? That’s like a question that, whether you love Trump, whether you hate Trump, like, that’s a really good question that Trump has never answered,” he said. “You say the election was stolen in 2020, but you won. But it was stolen. But you won. So let’s say the same thing happens this time. What is your plan to un-steal the election?”

“Is that the question Tucker asked? Nah. He asked him the question of, like, ‘why are people so mean to you?'” said Shapiro with disdain.

Shapiro finished his rant by blasting Carlson for conducting what he said was outright propaganda.

“That’s what the entire interview was. That’s not counterprogramming, I’m sorry, that really is not. I mean, it’s just a propaganda, 45-minute softball for for Trump. That’s all that is,” he said. “I mean, just, realistically speaking. Now, you may love it. Maybe that’s your bag, but that’s what it is. In that — How are you simultaneously so brave and yet so humble? And that’s what that interview was.”

“I’m .. ehhhh,” he concluded in disgust.

BEN SHAPIRO: The nature of the of this particular interview was just Tucker not asking him anything remotely difficult. The most difficult question that he asked Trump was whether Epstein killed himself. To which Trump said, Yeah, probably. But Tucker, I mean, listen, Tucker … has principles, obviously, he speaks about them regularly. This would’ve been a great opportunity for him to ask the former president and leading Republican candidate about some of those principles. He didn’t do any of it. Instead, he sort of I mean — how soft with the softballs that Tucker was throwing to Donald Trump? He asked Donald Trump to rip on Mike Pence by suggesting that Donald Trump had always been very nice to Mike Pence. This question is so bizarre, like, I don’t even know what to say about this.

CARLSON (CLIP): You’ve always been nice to Pence. I’ve never heard you criticize Pence. You’ve defended him in public many, many times. He’s out there attacking you. What is that?

BEN SHAPIRO: What? What?! What was … What?

TRUMP (CLIP): So, MIke wants to be the President. You gotta understand. In my opinion, Mike Pence had the absolute right to send the votes back to the legislatures. The Democrats, and everybody said you don’t have the right. In other words, what I said, is a human conveyer belt? You mean if he finds fraud in Pennsylvania, in Georgia, and he says….

BEN SHAPIRO: Ahh!

BEN SHAPIRO: I don’t care about Trump’s answer, it’s Tucker’s question that’s absurd! You’ve always been nice to Mike Pence?! The actual f*** what? You’ve al — what? Wha? Oh, okay. For those who have a memory of a goldfish, let me remind you of a time when Donald Trump suggested – nay said outright that Mike Pence had the unilateral capacity to overthrow an American election, essentially called him a coward, suggested that he would be forced to do so, and then when Mike Pence called him from the Capitol building on January 6th, because the Capitol building was under assault, he basically did nothing.

Uh, he was always, ‘you were always very nice to Mike Pence’ is one of the craziest Orwellian statements I have ever heard. ‘You were always very nice to Mike Pence’ is an insane statement. That’s, that’s like truly, that’s a crazy, crazy question.

But that was the nature of this, uh, that was the nature of this interview. Which again, softball interview on Twitter, did it counter program Fox? Not really. You know, I watched both. I doubt very many people actually did.

Tucker did ask him one question that was of relevance, but then he didn’t press him on it. He said, you know, they stole it last time. Why wouldn’t they steal at this time? Now, the question he should have asked is: We all know they’re going to — you say that you won the election last time. And if you’re Tucker, you believe that’s true, apparently, or you at least believe enough of it that you’re willing to say it. The question to Trump should be: okay, how are you going to un-steal it? Right. That’s like a question that, whether you love Trump, whether you hate Trump, like, that’s a really good question that Trump has never answered. You say the election was stolen in 2020, but you won. But it was stolen. But you won. So let’s say the same thing happens this time. What is your plan to un-steal the election? Can you name how you’re going to overcome all of this? Can you lay out like, your electoral strategy? How can you get out the vote? What kind of budgeting are you dedicating to, say, grassroots organizing? What sort of budget are you dedicating to your legal team? What sort of legal measures are you preparing? Do you have ballot watchers, do you have vote counters? Like, how exactly is this going? Like, that would be a useful question. How much of your Trump campaign fund is being dedicated to, say, your legal expenses in Georgia as opposed to building up the infrastructure necessary to preserve an election that you win, if you say that you won 2020?

Is that the question Tucker asked? Nah. He asked him the question of like, why are people so mean to you?

TRUMP (CLIP): And immediately after the election they met RINO, can name them all, and Democrats, and they approved legislation that takes away the right of the vice president to do it. So I said, Ah, so you’re saying I was right. The vice president did have the right to do it. And they said, yes, he did.

CARLSON (CLIP): So if you’re saying they stole it from me last time, why wouldn’t they do the same this time?

TRUMP (CLIP): Oh well they’ll try. They’re going to be trying. Yeah. And not only me, you know.

TRUMP (CLIP): These people are sick and they will go after them. And a lot of people say they won’t be able to hold up. I do get credit for holding up quite well, I must tell you. I think it’s.

CARLSON (CLIP): How do you do that? How do you get indicted, you know, every week and stay cheerful?

TRUMP (CLIP): It’s I think it, it’s a lot easier because I’m so high in the polls. Because it means the people get it. The people see the fraud.

SHAPIRO: Okay. That’s what the entire interview was. That’s not counterprogramming, I’m sorry, that really is not. I mean, it’s just a propaganda, 45-minute softball for for Trump. That’s all that is. I mean, just, realistically speaking. Now, you may love it. Maybe that’s your bag, but that’s what it is. In that — How are you simultaneously so brave and yet so humble? And that’s what that interview was. I’m .. ehhhh.

Watch above via The Ben Shapiro Show.

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