Tucker Carlson revealed that his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin will air on Thursday on X and his personal website as Hillary Clinton slammed the talk show host, labeling him a "useful idiot."
Carlson said in a post on his Instagram on Wednesday that the pre-recorded interview, which he referred to as a sit-down, will be aired at 6 pm EST on his website and the social media platform. The ex-Fox News host, a key ally of 2024 election candidate Donald Trump and a vocal opponent to the U.S. military aid for Ukraine visited Moscow for Putin's first interview with a Western journalist since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Countdown Begins
Clinton speaking on MSNBC on Wednesday, quipped about Carlson that she wouldn't be surprised if he secures a contract with a Russian media outlet because, in her view, he is a "useful idiot," in response to the news of Carlson's interview with Putin.
Carlson's access to Putin stands in stark contrast to the restrictions imposed on other foreign journalists in Russia, where two U.S. citizens, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe's Alsu Kurmasheva, are presently imprisoned.
Carlson's show on Fox News ended in April, shortly after the network paid an almost $800 million settlement to resolve a defamation case related to false claims about Dominion Voting Systems and the 2020 presidential election.
Since then, he has been hosting shows on X (formerly Twitter), but his interview with Putin marks his biggest achievement post his Fox departure.
This unexpected scoop coincides with a reduction in U.S. aid to Ukraine, driven by Republican opposition in Washington, leading to a shortage of ammunition for Ukrainian forces.
Democrats in the Senate are set to make a new attempt to reinstate U.S. military funding for Ukraine, following the initial failure of a multibillion-dollar aid package vote due to Republican discord. The fate of the package remains uncertain in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
What Is In Store?
Speaking on a left-leaning network to Alex Wagner, Clinton remarked that it made perfect sense for Putin to give the interview.
"He says things that are not true. He parrots Vladimir Putin's pack of lies about Ukraine, so I don't see why Putin wouldn't give him an interview," she said.
While expressing her opinion that Carlson could potentially secure a position with a Russian media outlet, Clinton also said that Russian media likely holds a negative view of him.
"If you actually read translations of what is being said on Russian media, they make fun of him ...he's like a puppy dog," Clinton said.
Tucker Carlson, 54, had earlier said that his interview with Putin will be broadcast "unedited" on his website and on X, without any paywall. This makes him the first American to conduct an interview with Putin since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"Two years into a war that's reshaping the entire world, most Americans are not informed," the conservative commentator said of the conflict in Ukraine.
"They have no real idea what's happening in this region. But they should know, they're paying for much of it in ways they might not fully perceive."
On Monday, Russian state media outlet Sputnik broadcasted footage claiming to show Tucker Carlson's car leaving from the Kremlin.
