Conservative media mogul Ben Shapiro had plenty to say about Tucker Carlson's “softball” interview with former President Donald Trump.
Most of it wasn't positive.
“Tucker has principles, obviously. He speaks about them regularly. This would have been a great opportunity for him to ask the former president and leading Republican candidate about some of those principles,” Shapiro noted. “He didn't do any of it”:
Speaking from his Daily Wire studio, Shapiro repeatedly hammered Carlson, taking particular umbrage at a question the ex-Fox News host asked Trump about his own vice president, Mike Pence. Shapiro went so far as to call it “insane.”
As Mediaite reports:
“I mean, how soft were the softballs that Tucker was throwing to Donald Trump?” he raged. “He asked Donald Trump to rip on Mike Pence by suggesting that Donald Trump had always been very nice to Mike Pence. This question is so bizarre. I, like, I don't even know what to say about this.”
In the clip, Carlson asks, Trump: “You've always been nice to Pence, I've never heard you criticize Pence, you defended him in public many, many times, he's out there attacking you, um, what is that?”
“What?!” shouted Shapiro over top of the clip playing, letting out a serious of incredulous noises over the framing.
Shapiro lambasted the question's phrasing, incredulously repeating Tucker, “‘You've always been nice to Mike Pence'? The actual f—, what! What!” The Daily Wire co-founder proceeded to outline Trump's false claim that the vice president could've unilaterally changed or overturned the election results, his characterizations of Pence as a “coward” –and worse – and his inaction as a mob looking for Pence's chanted, “Hang Mike Pence” on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Uh, he was always, ‘you were always very nice to Mike Pence' is one of the craziest Orwellian statements I have ever heard. ‘You were always very nice to Mike Pence' is an insane statement. That's, that's like truly, that's a crazy, crazy question,” Shapiro continued.
Shapiro then told viewers the biggest question he felt Carlson should've asked but didn't:
Instead, Shapiro lamented that the entire interview was “just a propaganda, 45-minute softball for Trump.”
“Maybe that's your bag, but that's what it is. In that — How are you simultaneously so brave and yet so humble? And that's what that interview was,” Shapiro added before trailing off.
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It’s too bad Shapiro is not pleased with the interview. Perhaps Shapiro can arrange his own interview with Trump, but he must remember to speak more slowly so the questions can be understood. Frankly, I think Shapiro is annoyed because he can’t get an interview with Trump.
Get a grip, Shapiro. Those questions were in no way softballs. They weren’t grueling questions, but they weren’t lobs. Then again, all Trump ever gets from the media is hardcore attacks, compared to the softballs Biden gets. Your TDS is rearing its ugly head.
Hey
Shapiro grow a set and admit what really has your panties in a bunch. IMO you can not stand the Tucker competition and have to whine like a little girl. Typical republican so called conservative who can not shut their mouth and maintain a united front for the greater good. Always out to knife the party in the back while you make it all about yourself. If you can not be part of the solution sit down and shut up!!!!!
Shapiro, the interview was conducted with respect for a President & a well mannered, likeable Tucker Carlson.Were you looking for a barbaric, vulgar interview. PRESIDENT TRUMP has been the most tortured individual by almost 30% of the population. The rest of the population will stand bravely with President TRUMP always
EFFYou shapiro! Leave Tucker the F*#K alone! He knows what he id doing and you don’t!
If Pence couldn’t do what Trump asked him to do why then did the rules change later after the fact saying that he couldn’t do it?
The Daily Wire has been fighting the good fight, arguably imperfectly (I think the system was and is out to do Trump in even if Shapiro thinks the election was not stolen) but Shapiro has been a force for good (conservatism) in many matters.
Tucker did not ask hardball questions. He favors Trump. Fine. But such interviews do not convince anybody of anything.
By the way, and this is why I support DeSantis, being objective, who really thinks Trump is a “great” administrator? One colossal iatrogenic mess he left us with was the pushing of not a vaccine but a genetic therapy, modRNA, untested in any human scale taking credit for its development and implementation unleashing bureaucratic creeps and praising them to his last days in office. Wow who new anything could go wrong with that combination.
DeSantis is just better at all aspects including being suspicious of bureaucracies, dealing with opposition and hiring good help — loyal, not sycophants or people not in tune with his policies because he has more discernment than Trump about people. Look back at Trumps false starts, the clumsy implementation, the poor communication (especially the un-careful, counter-productive tweets not just the so-called mean ones).
Of course Trump implemented some great policy changes (some by edict which were susceptible to cancellation and worse) many that any conservative would have and some better than Trump. Trump was, is no policy wonk and I do not think foreseeing policy implementation is a bad virtue.
Trump has decent conservative populist instincts. But MAGA is essentially the TEA Party movement which Trump glommed onto (fine, good choice). Trump was late to the party (both TEA and Republican). He was still singing Hillary’s praises when the TEA Party came into prominence and of course evolved all the way to supporting the likes of Romney Ryan.
But in the mean-time, years before Trump’s appearance on the political radar (Trump has always been political maneuverer, just not elected) DeSantis was fighting the good fight, ran for Congress and became a founding member of the Congressional Freedom Caucus. Desantis has years more experience fighting the good fight than Trump, not to mention those years in service to the country after he stood up willingly to swear an oath and wear the uniform.
DeSantis is a better policy person, a better administrator/chief executive, more electable for many women, tenacious, not as burdened by the baggage falsely heaped on him or to whatever degree of his own making.
Our country is under attack so you attack Tucker?
When Tucker differed with President Trump, he spoke out, in particular, concerning Epstein’s “suicide”. Do you expect Tucker to argue with Trump when he agrees with him?
Everybody makes mistakes…you included Shapiro. Grow up.