Tucker Carlson
Role at the time: Host, The Tucker Carlson Show
Defended or excused
Statement summary
Tucker Carlson defended Macklemore's "Free Palestine" remarks as legitimate criticism of a government rather than antisemitism, and called Robert Kraft's role in Macklemore's tour removal "censorship" and "very foolish."
“Criticism of the behavior of a secular government is not criticism of an entire people, many of whom disapprove... That is not Jew hate... it's not a defense of any one person. It's a defense of the truth... the inalienable right of every person to express their views.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Tucker Carlson: "Tucker Responds to the Epstein Class Attacking Macklemore & Resurrecting Cancel Culture"
Tucker Carlson Show episode with guest Ana Kasparian, defending Macklemore's 'Free Palestine' remarks and condemning Robert Kraft's role in his tour removal.
Why we used this label
Carlson directly defends Macklemore's 'Free Palestine' remarks as legitimate criticism of a government rather than antisemitism, and explicitly condemns Robert Kraft's role in the tour removal as censorship, a clear defense of Macklemore's conduct and condemnation of the response to it.