At an event for Donald Trump on Wednesday night, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson went on a bizarre rant where he likened the Republican presidential nominee to “daddy” and America to a “bad little girl” who needs a “vigorous spanking.”
At a rally hosted by the ultra-conservative group Turning Point Action, Carlson gave a speech where he called former Rep. Liz Cheney “Dick Cheney’s creepy little daughter,” made sexist remarks about women, and said that Democrats are “the party of weak men and unhappy women, one of which leads to the other, by the way,” the New York Times reports.
However, it was his extended metaphor comparing Trump’s potential victory in the presidential election to when “dad gets home” that was truly shocking. He started by likening the U.S. under Democratic rule to parents who allow their toddler to “smear the contents of his diapers on the wall of your living room” or who let their 14-year-old “light a joint at the breakfast table” or a “hormone-addled 15-year-old daughter to like slam the door of her bedroom and give you the finger.” In this rambling, convoluted metaphor, Trump is the father whose strict discipline keeps the kids (i.e., America) from ending up in rehab.
“When Dad gets home, you know what he says? ‘You’ve been a bad girl, you’ve been a bad little girl, and you’re getting a vigorous spanking right now,’” Carlson said to thunderous applause. “And no, it’s not going to hurt me more than it hurts you. No, it’s not. I’m not going to lie. This is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me. And you earned this. You’re getting a vigorous spanking because you’ve been a bad girl.”
It’s strange to hear talk of using physical force to punish kids who Republicans are usually obsessed with protecting, even against made-up enemies like gay “groomers,” drag queen story hour, LGBTQ+ books, and the mere existence of trans people. There is also a weird fetishization happening in the way Carlson said, “because you’ve been a bad girl,” which is rich coming from the police party that loves to call the LGBTQ+ community pedophiles.
Instead of being shocked and disturbed by Carlson’s odd paternalistic rant, the conservative crowd ate it up, loudly cheering for him. This exuberant response continued when Trump took the stage to the audience chanting, “Daddy’s home!” Comparing Trump to a father who looks out for the wellbeing of his children is laughable, considering he has stated that if elected, he plans to deport millions of people living in the U.S., wants to use the military against political protesters, and would love nothing more than to roll back even more LGBTQ+ rights.
On the other hand, the metaphor of Trump using corporal punishment to get his “unruly” children to follow the rules feels more in keeping with the MAGA leader who seems to hero-worship authoritarian leaders who control their citizens in ways he can only dream about.
Of course, Carlson’s speech didn’t end there. The conservative political commentator also made racist comments about Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “Carmela or whatever her name is” and described her as “just a hapless victim who happened to be there in the right color, so they grabbed her.” He also went on to criticize Democrats for wanting to remove Confederate statues. “They tore down statues to their memory. People who never built anything in their lives, they went out of their way to humiliate you and spit on you and the graves of your ancestors,” he said, according to the NYT.
With the election less than two weeks away, the Republicans are done being subtle and are just saying the quiet parts out loud now.
This disturbing speech from Carlson prompted people to run to social media to roast the political pundit — as they should! So keep scrolling to see the most hilarious reactions to Carlson calling Trump “daddy.”