Tucker Carlson has responded to challenges for not grilling Vladimir Putin enough in his controversial interview by saying ‘leadership requires killing people’.
The former Fox News presenter interviewed the Russian president on February 6.
But the interview has been blasted as ‘soft’ with even Vladimir Putin saying he was disappointed by Mr Carlson’s questions.
Just a few days before it was announced that Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny was dead, Mr Carlson defended his interview.
What he Said During the Interview
Appearing at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday, February 12, he was interviewed by Egyptian journalist Emad El Din Adeeb.
Mr Adeeb said: ‘You should challenge in the roles of an interview, and you’re a master in your business.
‘It’s not for me to give you a lecture about that, but you should challenge some ideas.
‘For instance, you didn’t talk about freedom of speech in Russia, you did not talk about Alexei Navalny, about assassinations, about restrictions on opposition in the coming elections.’
Mr Carlson replied: ‘I didn’t talk about the things that every other American media outlet talks about.
‘Because those are covered and because I have spent my life talking to people who run countries in various countries and have concluded the following: that every leader kills people, including my leader.
‘Every leader kills people, some kill more than others.
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What He Said About Leadership
‘Leadership requires killing people, sorry, that’s why I wouldn’t want to be a leader.
‘That press restriction is universal in the United States, I know because I’ve lived it. Ask my former – I’ve had a lot of jobs.
‘And I’ve done this for 34 years and I know how it works and there’s more censorship in Russia than there is in the United States but there is a great deal in the United States.
‘And so at a certain point, it’s like people can decide whether they think, what countries they think are better, what systems they think are better. I just want to know what he thinks, that was the whole point.’
In another bizarre video, Mr Carlson praised Russia for its low grocery store prices and fresh produce.
The media firebrand wheeled a grocery cart around a Russian superstore while marvelling at the stock as he continued his Putin PR tour earlier this week.
‘Look at That’
In a video uploaded to his social media accounts Carlson, 54, exclaimed, ‘Look at that!’ while sniffing a loaf of bread as jovial music plays.
The former presenter said the revelation moved him from feeling ‘amused to legitimately angry’ that his home country apparently charges much more for basics like food.
What is The Average Wage in Russia and US?
The video drew widespread ridicule from people online, as many pointed out the disparity between the average wage in Russia – which is the equivalent of $9,072 – or 6.5 times less than the average US salary of $59,428.
During his interview with Putin, Mr Carlson also heaped praise on Russia throughout, calling Moscow ‘so much nicer than any city in my country.’
‘I had no idea. It is so much cleaner, and safer and prettier, aesthetically, he said.
‘Its architecture, food, and services than in any cities in the United States. And this is not ideological.’
