Tucker Carlson touts Trump’s leadership on RNC’s final night

MILWAUKEE — Political commentator Tucker Carlson painted former President Donald Trump as a unique and dedicated leader during his speaking slot on the final night of the Republican National Convention.

“Being a leader is not a title, it’s organic,” he said. “You can’t name someone a leader. A leader is the bravest man; that’s what a leader is. That is true in all human organizations. That is a law of nature. And in that moment [following the assassination attempt], Donald Trump, months before presidential election, became the leader of this nation.”

One of the few speakers at this week’s convention who did not read his speech from a teleprompter, Carlson, who is dyslexic, spent much time reflecting on Trump’s near brush with death, saying it both marked Trump as a leader and changed him.

“Everything was different after that moment. This convention was different, the nation was different, the world was different, Donald Trump was different,” he said. “When he stood up after being shot in the face, bloodied, and put his hand up, I thought at that moment, ‘that was a transformation.’”

“The effect it had on Donald Trump — he was no longer just a political party’s nominee, or a former president, or a future president,” Carlson continues. “This was the leader of a nation.”

It was a triumphant return to prominence for the media personality, who had been kicked off of his biggest stage just over a year ago.

Carlson, 55, has worked at CNN and MSNBC in the past but achieved his greatest fame as a Fox News host from 2016 to 2023. Since being let go from Fox he has remained close to the conservative spotlight by hosting a show on X and giving speeches to right-leaning audiences.

In fact, Carlson may have grown closer to Trump’s inner circle since his ouster, seen frequently during the Milwaukee GOP convention and even sitting in Trump’s VIP box during the first night’s festivities.

Continuing with the leadership theme, Carlson more than once mentioned his decades in Washington and the city’s culture.

“The presidency comes with great power, obviously, but if you think about it, that is a title that is bestowed by a process of some sort, which came be subverted,” he said. “In the end it does not confer by itself, as no title does, legitimacy. Just because you call yourself the president doesn’t mean that much inherently.”

“I can call my dog the CEO of Hewlett Packard; it doesn’t mean she is,” he added. “It’s true! And you hate to say it, but it is also true that you could take, I don’t know, a mannequin or dead person and make him president.”

While he’s no stranger to controversy, convention attendees who spoke to the Washington Examiner sang Carlson’s praises as an outspoken voice for the right.

“He doesn’t care if you agree with it or not,” attendee Nicole Powell said. “The reality is we are a society of people with differing opinions, and you should be allowed to express your opinions.”

Don Huffines, who traveled to Milwaukee from Dallas, said he loves Carlson’s message, which “explains it so clearly that this is about good and evil.”

Carlson credited Trump’s courage with calming the crowd in Pennsylvania after he was grazed by a bullet and said that, counter to warnings from his opponents, Trump’s project is about restoring Democracy by giving voters what they want.

He said vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) is another reflection of that idea because Vance’s policy views hew closely to Trump’s.

“The entire point, from the famous escalator ride nine years ago until today, of Donald Trump’s public life has been to remind us of one fact, which is that a leader’s duty is to his people, to his country, and to no other,” Carlson said. “And another word for this is democracy.”