Tucker Carlson accused NPR Thursday of being so afraid that people would support themselves. (See the video below.)
“It’s the same template as always: Scare nonsense from your voters, tell them that their lives are at risk, encourage them to get guns,” the Fox News host. “Do you think this is over?”
Carlson’s lack of self-awareness prompted a reporter who shared the clip, Rolling Stone political reporter Nikki McCann Ramirez, to declare: “Irony was found dead in a ditch.”
Critics of Carlson, who thrives on baiting conservative demographics while railing against gun reform, mocked the prime-time personality on Twitter for himself.
“When the pot meets the kettle,” wrote one.
At length, Carlson digressed from an NPR piece from last month about a transgender man in New Hampshire who took a “rainbow reload” class to practice shooting for self-defense.
He accused the public radio station of promoting guns for trans people while trying to deny firearms to others. (The segment doesn’t appear to be advocating for armed protection, but instead shows the hopelessness many trans people feel in the face of increasing attacks.)
“Let’s be clear: We’re not against people — American citizens — carrying firearms,” Carlson said. “We support it — including trans people. It doesn’t matter. But what you’re seeing here is not a Second Amendment exercise. What you’re seeing here is political hysteria — deliberate fearmongering with dishonesty to make people uncomfortable. People are armed in a state of agitation. It doesn’t matter if they’re trans or not, whatever.”
“We are as for the gun as you can, but this seems like an incitement,” Carlson added, according to The Daily Beast.
Here are some choice reactions on Twitter: