Tucker Carlson Slams Any GOP Senator Opposed to Tulsi Gabbard
Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host, declared that any Republican senator opposing President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence is an “enemy” of the United States.
Carlson made these remarks during a Turning Point USA convention in Phoenix, where he appeared alongside Donald Trump Jr. and Steve Bannon, a former senior adviser to the president-elect.
A vocal supporter of Gabbard, Carlson recently stirred controversy by discussing U.S. foreign policy with far-left economist Jeffrey Sachs. In the interview, Carlson questioned the prevailing narrative, asking, “Why am I required to hate Assad?”
Referring to Gabbard’s meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Carlson continued, “Tulsi Gabbard went and met with Assad. She’s been attacked ever since. Has anyone ever explained why Americans should hate Assad?” Sachs spent much of the conversation criticizing U.S. intelligence agencies.
Addressing young attendees at the Arizona event, Carlson defended Gabbard’s military service. “She served in the U.S. military for 20 years. So, by the way, if she was a foreign agent, how exactly was she carrying a gun in the U.S. military? It’s absurd,” he said.
“You will know who’s on which side by the reaction to Tulsi Gabbard. If there are Republican senators voting against Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation—either in the Intel committee or in the open Senate—you will know that person is not only my enemy as someone who voted for change, for openness, for transparency, for an end to corruption, for draining of the swamp,” Carlson said. “That person is an enemy of the United States. Period.”
“It’s really that simple,” he concluded. “And you will get the same story. It’s national security. We can’t let our enemies know. We can’t trust Tulsi Gabbard. No, we can’t trust you.”
Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, has served in Iraq and Kuwait. After her unsuccessful 2020 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, she left Congress and the Democratic Party, later registering as a Republican.
Her nomination as Director of National Intelligence is expected to face significant resistance in the Senate. According to Reuters, “eight Republican senators are unsure about supporting former Democratic member of Congress Tulsi Gabbard to become America’s top spy, according to a Trump transition source and a second source with knowledge of the issue, increasing doubts about whether her nomination will secure Senate confirmation.”
Trump has sought to rally Republicans behind his nominations by emphasizing his sweeping victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, which secured GOP control of the White House, Senate, and House—widely seen as a mandate for his leadership.
During a pre-election rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Gabbard delivered a speech sharply critical of Harris, warning that voting for her would be akin to “voting for war.”
She began her speech by quoting the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that our Creator has endowed us with certain unalienable Rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“As we gather here today on this historic occasion, we stand together as proud Americans in understanding that these very rights are under attack,” Gabbard said. “So we face this historic crossroads where our freedom and our future is in our hands. There’s never been a more clear choice in any election in my life, and our ability to live in a truly peaceful and free and prosperous country is on the line.”
Drawing on her 20 years of military service, Gabbard described the personal impact of war. “A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for a man who wants to end wars, not start them, and who has demonstrated already that he has the courage and strength to stand up and fight for peace,” she declared.
“A vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for open borders, where known violent criminals and Islamist terrorists are streaming across our borders, placing us at risk,” Gabbard added.