What did Mitch McConnell say about Tucker Carlson? The ‘demonization of Ukraine,’ explained

There is nothing more ironic than seeing controversial figures point fingers at each other, is there? Regardless, Mitch McConnell has had enough of Tucker Carlson, and he is not holding back from speaking his mind against him.

On April 23, the U.S. Senate approved a bill that aims to provide aid to a few American allies, including the currently war-torn Ukraine. The help will be in the form of $60.8 billion in military funding to combat the Russian invasion. While this must be incredibly appreciated by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the country’s citizens, it comes with months’ worth of delay. Why? Well, that’s the exact question that was posed to Senate Republican Leader McConnell, and he answered it in no uncertain terms.

The politician attributed part of the blame for this delay to former Fox News talk show host Tucker Carlson. In his statement, McConnell accused Carlson of aiding in the demonization of Ukraine, claiming he was responsible for convincing a lot of members of the Republican party that passing the bill would be a mistake. As most folks are aware, Carlson is a political commentator and journalist, not a politician, so does McConnell really have a reason for blaming him? He does, and it can be traced back to February 2024.

Why did Mitch McConnell accuse Tucker Carlson of demonizing Ukraine?

McConnell’s accusation against Carlson pertains to an interview he conducted and presented to the world online. The interviewee? None other than Russian President Vladimir Putin. The journalist flew all the way to the head of state’s home country for the occasion and sat down with him to talk about the current situation between Russia and Ukraine.

The mere fact that Carlson gave Putin a platform to spread his political agenda was criticized by some folks, but what truly drove the nail home was how the interview was handled. As if gleefully playing best friends with the man behind the mass killing of Ukrainian civilians wasn’t questionable enough, there was also a noticeable lack of challenge from Carlson to Putin’s claims during their conversation. In fact, the Russian president seemed to be the one in charge of the interview, using it to speak at length about his country’s history and the threat of Soviet expansion.

Needless to say, Putin’s rhetoric going uncontested may have strengthened pro-Russian sympathy among those who watched the interview. This is why, in McConnell’s perspective, Carlson is one of the people responsible for the demonization of Ukraine and, subsequently, the struggle to get approval for the country’s aid.