While many Americans would love to see Tucker Carlson run for president now that the anchor has parted ways with Fox News, the popular pundit did, in fact, tell a reporter this week that he would be running for president and announcing his candidacy this week.
But then, within moments, Carlson admitted he was just joking.
The reporter who was toyed with is Mattathias Schwartz of Insider, who texted back and forth with Carlson on Tuesday night.
“Are you going to run for president?” Schwartz asked.
“Yes. Announcing Friday in New Hampshire.” Tucker responded.
Thinking the had a major scoop, Schwartz then sent four texts:
“Can I call you?
“I would like to be first with this.
“But I can’t stand it up with one text.
“Let me know. A voice call would be helpful.”
Tucker answered with: “Totally kidding. Sorry.”
“You got me,” Schwartz noted.
Carlson added: “I can never control myself. I’m fundamentally a d*ck. My apologies.”
The reporter then said: “It’s okay. I can appreciate a good troll. So you’ve ruled 2024 out completely, it sounds like,” but he never received a response.
Schwartz wrote an article about the exchange nonetheless, with a headline reading: “Tucker Carlson told us he’s running for president in 2024. Then he said he was joking. Then he said he’s ‘fundamentally a d*ck.’”
In his story, Schwartz admits “my earthshaking scoop was short-lived. After I credulously asked him to confirm that he was serious before I blasted out the news, which would reshape the 2024 presidential race, the former Fox News broadcaster confirmed what millions of Americans have already concluded: He’s just an a**hole.”
Schwartz continued to display his leftist ideological slant in his report, writing:
“Carlson’s rash messages come as the incendiary monologist attempts to rebrand himself as a full-time Twitter personality after 14 years on Fox News, which fired him earlier this month. Carlson’s show became a kind of ideological North Star for the embittered and racialized nationalism that propelled Donald Trump into the White House and then incubated the Trump movement’s conspiracy theories and insatiable sense of outrage in the wake of his 2020 election loss.
“On Fox, Carlson stoked hatred of undocumented immigrants, glossed over the violence of the January 6 insurrection, and criticized US support for Ukraine. His fans are 63% male and 66% white, according to a survey by Morning Consult.”
As WND reported, Carlson announced this week he would be launching a new program on Twitter “soon,” without giving a specific start date.
‘We’re back’: Tucker Carlson returns, but not to Fox News
Schwartz tweeted out his exchange with Tucker, and responses include:
Follow Joe on Twitter @JoeKovacsNews
This article was originally published by the WND News Center.
This post originally appeared on WND News Center.