Calling into his eponymous Fox News Channel program on Thursday due to previously scheduled off time, Tucker Carlson responded to Antifa’s threats to both himself and his family outside his home on Wednesday by telling fill-in co-host Brian Kilmeade that these “lunatics” have a “totalitarian” mindset who carried out “a threat to free expression to all of us.”
He would also note that not only did it leave his wife terrified as she was holed up in the pantry, but Antifa published the addresses of Carlson, his brother, and his Daily Caller co-founder in a video of the mob’s antics.
Carlson first told Kilmeade that the last 24 hours have “been really nice and affirming” because “for every masked lunatic in front of my house, there have been....100 people, some of whom I don't agree with politically, calling or sending text of support and kindness and it’s just a reminder of what a really nice country it is.”
Taking note of the reality that the news business can make it feel as though people are “lunatics,” Tucker stated that “[m]ost people are humane and decent.” That aside, the incident has still been “upsetting” as it left his “wife...hiding in the pantry because people are threatening her.”
“I've characterized the Antifa people and people like them as protesters, but they’re not. I mean, they weren't protesting anything...[T]hey weren't trying to change my mind...They were threatening my family to get me to stop talking and obviously, I'm not going to because it's my job...I mean, this has a chilling effect on people's ability to speak and to think freely. That's the point. It's totalitarian in its — in its — in its intent. We should fight it,” he added.
Kilmeade inquired about how Tucker’s wife responded to the situation and the FNC host explained that “[s]he was in the kitchen” when they came and, while, he was back at the FNC studios, he “got a bunch of text from people, my neighbor says something terrible is going on at your house and by the time I called my wife, my wife had the police and my brother there.”
Tucker then continued, elaborating on how his wife “is not very political” and people in his dark blue neighborhood are civil (click “expand”):
I have a very large brother who lives a couple blocks away, thank heaven and we’re close. He was there immediately, but she’s standing in the kitchen waiting to go out to dinner, and people started pounding on the door, really hitting the door hard and screaming and threatening and, you know, she thought it was a home invasion. I mean, the truth is my wife, even though she's married to me, is not very political and not — I mean, we live in Washington, we raised our four children in Washington, it’s not — believe it or not a very political environment. People don't talk about politics at dinner. There's kind of a gentlemen’s agreement to be nonpartisan....I mean, the whole thing completely grotesque. The effect is to make it impossible to, like, open your mail. I mean, one thing they did, I think the worst thing that they did was they put my home address on the internet and they put a poster right in front of my house with my home address on it and they filmed it. They taped it and they put the tape on the internet. So, you know, I can't have my kids stay home alone now and I'm a normal person. I live in a normal neighborhood. I'm not talk show host when I get off the air, I'm a father. I don't want to have those battles in my personal life. I don't think most people do and now they brought it right to my house and I don't want to whine, I'm not a victim, I'm a happy person, but you know, you can see why I wouldn't like that and why I feel threatened by it and why I think that this is a threat to free expression to all of all of us, and I mean that.
He added that Antifa also put up a number of addresses besides his own that were in the videos (before they were taken down from Facebook and Twitter).
Here’s more of his thoughts before Kilmeade moved on with the show (click “expand”):
CARLSON: I mean, the whole thing is completely crazy and I should say just for the record, I would guess that the overwhelming majority of my neighbors are Democrats. Probably don't agree with a single thing I think, but all of them were appalled by this. I mean, we lose sight again of the fact that the country is overwhelmingly normal people who don't think that this is acceptable and our conversation publicly has been hijacked by extremists like this and I worry that if we don't stand up to them and say, ‘I'm sorry, this is not allowed, you can't threaten people into silence,’ the rest of us are very passive in the face of this....I mean, nobody is for this other than a tiny minority of people and yet they have control. How did we get here?
KILEMEDE: Because they got away with it and I’m going to add this, Tucker. So, you hear Antifa, we cover this every single day, you saw the bike racks being thrown, you saw the bricks being put through Starbucks windows, these people — they yell, they scream, and they’re violent. So, that's got to really weigh on your mind. We’ve seen them in action before.
CARLSON: Well, They are absolutely violent. I mean, I don't want to pretend to be the tough guy, I'm not a tough guy, but I've been doing this a long time. I'm not personally, I don't feel threatened physically, but, you know, I have five other people in my house —
KILMEADE: Yep.
CARLSON: — and maybe they do. That’s the point. If I'm walking down the street and someone comes up and says, I violently disagree with you. Okay, let me hear about it. But to do this is a form of intimidation.
KILMEADE: Right
CARLSON: Why are we describing it as a protest? It a protest in the sense that when the mafia tells a store owner, I’d hate to have this place destroyed, that's not a protest, it's a threat.
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department explained on Thursday that it’s being labeled a “suspected hate crime.” Our friends at the Daily Caller reported that the police report had “[o]ne box labeled ‘hate bias/motivation’ was filled in ‘anti-political.’” This was in addition to his front door being busted and vandalism on his car, house, and driveway.
To see the relevant transcript from FNC’s Tucker Carlson Tonight on November 8, click “expand.”
FNC’s Tucker Carlson Tonight
November 8, 2018
8:03 p.m. EasternBRIAN KILMEADE: All to respond to it and taking it all in first hand is Tucker Carlson, who was on a previously planned vacation and joins us via telephone. Tucker, that is the response. You’re taping your show, just before you go on the air, they’re outside your house. What have the last 24 hours been like for you?
TUCKER CARLSON: Well, it’s actually been a really nice and affirming. I mean, for every mast lunatic in front of my house, there have been, you know, a 100 people, some of whom I don't agree with politically, calling or sending text of support and kindness and it’s just a reminder of what a really nice country it is and if you work in our business, as you know, you can lose sight of that because you see the lunatics, but you know, most people are not lunatics. Most people are humane and indecent, and kind and it's been a great reminder of that and really a wonderful experience. But what’s it like to find out that your wife is hiding in the pantry because people are threatening her? I mean, it’s upsetting and I guess I would say this. I've characterized the Antifa people and people like them as protesters, but they’re not. I mean, they weren't protesting anything. The irony is that this is the one show that regularly invites people like that on
KILEMEADE: I know
CARLSON: — to say what they think. If you have a point of view that we disagree with, I will debate you but I still want to hear it because I think people should hear it. But they weren't trying to change my mind or advocate for a position, they were threatening my family to get me to stop talking and obviously, I'm not going to because it's my job to talk and I have the support of Fox News, and I'm grateful for that. But then you think of all the people, most people in this country who don't have that lucky combination of circumstances and they really feel like they have to shut up, that they can't say what they think because they will be punished. I mean, this has a chilling effect on people's ability to speak and to think freely. That's the point. It's totalitarian in its — in its — in its intent. We should fight it.
KILMEADE: So, there's a couple of things going on. You have your career, your opinions, are you going to change them? The answer is absolutely no and this might be, I guess, retro to say this, but as the head of your household in many respects, traditionally, don't you feel responsible to protect those who live with you, like your wife, like your family? What is it like? What did she do as they were banging on your door, spray-painting your driveway and shouting outside your house? And this is more than a dozen people in black outfits. Where was she?
CARLSON: She was in the kitchen, and let me say, you know, if we find ourselves in a country where men aren't allowed to say they want to protect their wives, you know, I don't want to live in that country. That's a totally sick and unnatural. So, of course I feel that obligation. It's my deepest obligation and I feel it. So, I got a bunch of text from people, my neighbor says something terrible is going on at your house and by the time I called my wife, my wife had the police and my brother there. I have a very large brother who lives a couple blocks away, thank heaven and we’re close. He was there immediately, but she’s standing in the kitchen waiting to go out to dinner, and people started pounding on the door, really hitting the door hard and screaming and threatening and, you know, she thought it was a home invasion. I mean, the truth is my wife, even though she's married to me, is not very political and not — I mean, we live in Washington, we raised our four children in Washington, it’s not — believe it or not a very political environment. People don't talk about politics at dinner. There's kind of a gentlemen’s agreement to be nonpartisan and so, she's not engaged in this stuff. I'm not sure she knew who Antifa it was. She didn't do anything wrong. Why were they screaming at her? I mean, the whole thing completely grotesque. The effect is to make it impossible to, like, open your mail. I mean, one thing they did, I think the worst thing that they did was they put my home address on the internet and they put a poster right in front of my house with my home address on it and they filmed it. They taped it and they put the tape on the internet. So, you know, I can't have my kids stay home alone now and I'm a normal person. I live in a normal neighborhood. I'm not talk show host when I get off the air, I'm a father. I don't want to have those battles in my personal life. I don't think most people do and now they brought it right to my house and I don't want to whine, I'm not a victim, I'm a happy person, but you know, you can see why I wouldn't like that and why I feel threatened by it and why I think that this is a threat to free expression to all of us, and I mean that.
KILMEADE: I agree and we also should, according to the reports, your brother's address is up there too, right?
CARLSON: Oh they put my brothers address. They put my college roommates address up. My best friend who lives down the street from me who I started The Daily Caller with, who, you know, like my brother, he has nothing to do with any of this and they put both of their home addresses up. My college roommate was on a trip, you know, his wife is home with their little kids, and he's got to give the police over there. My brother has a family, too. I mean, the whole thing is completely crazy and I should say just for the record, I would guess that the overwhelming majority of my neighbors are Democrats. Probably don't agree with a single thing I think, but all of them were appalled by this. I mean, we lose sight again of the fact that the country is overwhelmingly normal people who don't think that this is acceptable and our conversation publicly has been hijacked by extremists like this and I worry that if we don't stand up to them and say, ‘I'm sorry, this is not allowed, you can't threaten people into silence,’ the rest of us are very passive in the face of this. I think we know who these people are. In fact, I think one of the people screaming at my wife last night has been a guest on our show. So, these are semi-public people.
KILMEADE: Really?
CARLSON: Yes and I can't prove that. We’re going to find out, but I'm thinking to myself, two things. If you have something to say, you're always welcome to come back on and say it. Again, he doesn't want to say it, he doesn't want to convince you, he wants to scare you into shutting but secondly, why are the rest of us sitting back and allowing speech to be squelched like this? I mean, nobody is for this other than a tiny minority of people and yet they have control. How did we get here?
KILEMEDE: Because they got away with it and I’m going to add this, Tucker. So, you hear Antifa, we cover this every single day, you saw the bike racks being thrown, you saw the bricks being put through Starbucks windows, these people — they yell, they scream, and they’re violent. So, that's got to really weigh on your mind. We’ve seen them in action before.
CARLSON: Well, They are absolutely violent. I mean, I don't want to pretend to be the tough guy, I'm not a tough guy, but I've been doing this a long time. I'm not personally, I don't feel threatened physically, but, you know, I have five other people in my house —
KILMEADE: Yep.
CARLSON: — and maybe they do. That’s the point. If I'm walking down the street and someone comes up and says, I violently disagree with you. Okay, let me hear about it. But to do this is a form of intimidation.
KILMEADE: Right
CARLSON: Why are we describing it as a protest? It a protest in the sense that when the mafia tells a store owner, I’d hate to have this place destroyed, that's not a protest, it's a threat.
KILMEADE: Exactly.
CARLSON: And that's what this is.
KILMEADE: Tucker, you are supposed to be on vacation. I appreciate you joining us. If anybody wants to know if Tucker’s going to be intimidated, watch his A-block, that’s the beginning of the show when he comes back. I have a hunch you’re not going to be pulling back. Tucker Carlson, thanks so much.
CARLSON: Thank you, Brian, for capably filling in. I appreciate it.
KILMEADE: Okay, Tucker Carlson, thanks.
CARLSON: See you, man.
KILMEADE: Please go back to your vacation, wherever it might be.
