Based on the innocuous title of the event, "The Future of News: Trust and Polarization," and Semafor's stated goal of "tackl[ing] the lack of trust in media," one might assume that a fair and balanced discussion would prevail over the political mud-slinging we've all come to expect.
However, these expectations were quickly dashed from the outset as Smith attempted to ambush Carlson for the entire 20-minute interview with a rapid patter of misrepresentations and loaded questions. During the heated exchange, the two repeatedly talked over each other, though a technical delay may have been a contributing factor, as Carlson appeared virtually from a remote location.
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Smith started the interview by saying, "I'd rather not ask you about the labels but give you an opportunity to talk about what you believe." But the insincerity of this claim was quickly laid bare as Smith attempted a series of "gotcha" questions. As Carlson's answers fail to align with Smith's preconceived notions about him, every attempt to back Carlson into a rhetorical corner backfires miserably.
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For his first inquiry, Smith asked Carlson, "Do you believe white people are superior to other races?" As Tucker began to laugh and respond, "No of course not," Smith, realizing he isn't going to elicit the response he came looking for, cuts him off to rephrase the question to, "Do you think white people have more of a claim over America?"
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"Of course not," Carlson reasserts himself and describes his view that everybody has equal value. Carlson made his views unequivocally clear, stating that "If you were to look at my texts or listen to my personal conversations or read my mind, you would find no instance that I'm like 'I'm mad at Black people.' One-hundred percent of the people that I'm mad at are well-educated white liberals."
When Smith could not extract a confession of racist doctrines from Carlson, he played an 8-second clip from Tucker Carlson Tonight, where Carlson says "In political terms, this policy is called the Great Replacement. The replacement of legacy Americans with more obedient people from far away countries."
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"So Tucker, what's a 'legacy American'?" Ben smirks, as though he's finally got him.
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