The Fox News host invited the Dutch historian on his show to discuss his comments at Davos about the need for higher taxes on the rich went viral. Carlson apparently was attracted by Bregman pointing out the hypocrisy of people flying in their private jets to Davos to discuss climate change but the interview went off the rails when Bregman described how Fox News and its on-air personalities were millionaires who had been bought off by the billionaire class to not talk about the need for higher taxes and instead talk about immigrants. Carlson clearly did not like being told to his face that he is a mere mouthpiece for the oligarchy and went on a profanity-laden tirade.
The interview begins cordially, and Carlson congratulates Bregman on pointing out the hypocrisy of Davos attendees “who fly business to talk about global warming”. Bregman says he is just saying what most people in the world, including Fox News viewers, are thinking.
Things become tense when Bregman tells Carlson that Fox News has tended to ignore tax because “what the Murdochs want you to do is scapegoat immigrants instead of talking about tax avoidance”.
Bregman then accuses Carlson of being bought by the Murdoch family and the Cato Institute, a rightwing thinktank of which Carlson was a fellow until 2015. Bregman says Tucker took the “dirty money” of the institute, which is funded in large part by the Koch brothers and opposes higher taxes.
He says Carlson is “a millionaire funded by billionaires” and “not part of the solution” but “part of the problem, actually”.
Bregman finishes by acknowledging that the interview probably wouldn’t be aired, but saying that he “went to Davos to speak truth to power and I’m doing exactly the same right now”.
Carlson, near-speechless for much of the interview, replies by saying: “Why don’t you go fuck yourself, you tiny brain. You’re a moron. I tried to give you a hearing but you were too fucking annoying.”
The next day on Twitter, Bregman said he decided to leak the interview to NowThis because “we should keep talking about the corrupting influence of money in politics. It also shows how angry elites can get if you do that.”
The interview is apparently not going to be aired on Fox. But here is Bregman’s recording of it that contains only the audio of Carlson. Enjoy!
Watch Fox News host Tucker Carlson call one of his guests a 'tiny brain…moron' during an interview. NowThis has obtained the full segment with historian Rutger Bregman that Fox News is refusing to air. pic.twitter.com/kERYPUaGLY
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 20, 2019
Bregman is now taunting Carlson to air the interview in full.
Good morning @TuckerCarlson, why didn't you air the interview with me last night? Couldn't handle the criticism? I think you should just show it. And try to resist the temptation to edit, I've recorded the full thing – including that moment when you start swearing profusely.
— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) February 12, 2019
Poor Tucker. As that other Dutch Rutger said: “All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die of embarrassment.”. I might have added a bit to the quote.
Of course, that presupposes that Tucker is able to feel embarrassment. Anymore.
It was great hearing Tucker go from laughing about how Bregman sure showed those climate change hypocrites to anger and petty insults.
What would be interesting is whether Fox acknowledges the existence of this and reacts to it publically.
Tucker’s an ass.
“you were too fucking annoying”
It’s a good old Dutch tradition. One of the reasons King Louis XIV from France invaded The Dutch Republic in 1672 was because the Dutch regents did not pay him enough respect. If you’d like to read a Dutch catholic mocking the RCC I can recommend Erasmus’ In Praise of Folly from 1511. It’s hilarious, even today.