Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer boasted Tuesday that he declined a request from Fox News host Tucker Carlson to debate a letter the New York Democrat sent top Fox News executives.
What happened?
On Tuesday, Schumer sent a letter to Fox leadership demanding the network “immediately cease the reckless amplification of the so-called ‘Great Replacement’ theory.”
Schumer claimed the white supremacist conspiracy theory “has been injected into the mainstream” of American discourse because of “a dangerous level of amplification” by Fox News. Schumer did not cite any evidence to corroborate his claims. In fact, he only pointed to an Associated Press poll and a New York Times investigative story on Carlson.
Still, Schumer told Fox leadership, “I implore you to immediately cease all dissemination of false white nationalist, far-right conspiracy theories on your network.”
After Schumer sent his letter and railed against Fox News on the Senate floor, Carlson’s team reached out to him and invited him to debate the letter on Carlson’s nightly show. But, for reasons unknown, Schumer declined the invitation.
“.@TuckerCarlson invited me on his show tonight to debate the letter I sent to @FoxNews. I’m declining. Tucker Carlson needs to stop promoting the racist, dangerous ‘Replacement Theory’,” Schumer boasted.
What was the reaction?
While Schumer’s stance may have won him brownie points within his tribe, the decision to reject Carlson’s invitation left many others scratching their heads.
After all, if Carlson is promoting racism and Schumer is on the “right side” of the issue, why would he refuse the opportunity to enlighten Carlson and his more than 3 million nightly viewers?
- “Why would you be afraid to debate Carlson if you really believe you have the facts, politics and morality on your side?
Oh wait,” one person
said. - “Nothing says ‘I have courage in my convictions’ quite like refusing to discuss them publicly,” one person mocked.
- “okay…..but you understand that he is not going to stop, right? So basically you had the perfect opportunity to go give his crowd an alternate viewpoint and said no for literally no reason. Am I missing anything?” another person said.
- “I don’t agree with either you or Tucker on everything, but it would be better if you went on and talked in good faith,” one person observed.
- “So you’re bragging about making accusations but being unwilling (afraid) to explain or defend them? I think we all know why,” another person observed.
- “So you turned down the opportunity to talk to 3.5 million Americans? Well you really showed them. That’ll teach them,” another person mocked.
- “If @TuckerCarlson is as disgusting as you claim, why would you turn down the chance to prove him wrong in front of millions of his viewers?
Oh, because you know you’re full of crap? Got it,” another person
reacted. - “Given the chance to confront the person Dems believe to be so dangerous, they opt instead to tweet and send letters. Profiles in courage,” another person mocked.
- “Isn’t debating someone you disagree with the best way to sort out the issue?
How does silencing the other side or refusing to engage help anyone? Seems very counterproductive,” one person
observed.
Carlson responded to Schumer on his show Tuesday evening, calling him a “coward,” and quipped of Schumer’s ego, “This is the only media appearance probably in history he’s turned down.”