Tucker Carlson’s Exclusive Interview with Putin: A Bid for Relevance or Provocative Ploy?

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson made a splash by landing an exclusive interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the first American journalist to do so since Russia’s aggression against Ukraine two years ago.

Carlson, a right-wing commentator, had a conversation that supported Putin’s anti-Ukrainian position and suggested Carlson’s desire to remain relevant after leaving Fox News.

Carlson, in a video after the interview, said Putin was honest but struggled to relate to Americans, implying Putin was hurt by Western isolation and had hoped for Russia’s inclusion in Europe after the Cold War.

The interview was not surprising, considering Carlson’s frequent compliments from Russian state media and his recent attacks on the Biden administration’s backing of Ukraine, which matched Russian narratives. Carlson’s video to promote the interview was shot on top of the Ritz Carlton Hotel near Red Square, showing off the privileges he enjoyed, causing suspicion among Russian journalists.

However, critics say that Carlson’s interview failed to ask the tough questions expected of a journalist dealing with a wartime leader. Instead, Putin controlled the conversation with long historical stories defending Russia’s actions in Ukraine, while Carlson avoided confronting Putin’s perspective or calling Russia’s military presence an “invasion”.

Although Carlson tried to show his journalistic ethics by calling for the release of a jailed Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich, he was criticised for ignoring other urgent issues, such as the imprisonment of Alsu Kurmasheva or the warrants for Putin’s arrest by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes.

Carlson has a history of controversial remarks and associations, including his previous justification of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections and his rejection of claims linking Trump’s campaign to Russia. After being sacked from Fox News over scandals and lawsuits, Carlson started his online platform, the Tucker Carlson Network, where he keeps drawing attention with interviews of contentious figures.

Despite his attempts to stay in the spotlight, Carlson’s impact and popularity seem reduced compared to his time at Fox News, with doubts about the actual number of his viewers on digital platforms like X. Still, his interview with Putin has ignited discussion and raised concerns about his motives and journalistic style in the post-Fox era.