It looked as though Fox’s Tucker Carlson was being trolled by his own show when a caption popped up briefly while he was onscreen, seemingly describing the TV host as “dangerous”.
Carlson’s head and shoulders filled the screen while he spoke to the camera, and the chyron running along the bottom of the screen read: “This man is a danger to the country,” followed by Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Presumably, the caption was intended to refer to General Mark Milley, as Carlson was devoting the segment of his show to slamming the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen Milley reportedly told his Chinese counterpart that the US wasn’t about to attack in the final chaotic days of Donald Trump’s term, which has prompted some Republicans to call for his resignation.
Whether the caption was a genuine mistake, a sly dig by staffers – or even a tacit warning to viewers of the channel –remains unknown, but either way the message appeared to hit home. Screen grabs of the caption were shared widely on social media, with many agreeing with the statement.
Carlson has been criticised for spreading misinformation about Covid and vaccinations, as well as conspiracy theories about the 6 January Capitol riot, while frequently ranting about immigrants.
Despite his influential position as the talk show host of Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News, he has admitted to lying on air. Lawyers for the news organisation successfully defended him in September 2020 against a defamation suit by arguing that “any reasonable viewer” should be sceptical of what he says on the show.
Fellow TV personality and CNN political commentator Ana Navarro-Cárdenas was one of many who responded to the image on Twitter, saying: “If the shoe fits...”
