More viewers are flocking to Tucker Carlson’s popular evening show on Fox News despite criticism the Carlson has received over releasing footage of the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy granted Carlson access to more than 41,000 hours of security footage from January 6, 2021. Carlson played some of the clips during his Monday night episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News. Carlson said the clips did not show an “insurrection or a riot in progress” and also claimed that Democrats and media hoped to suppress the footage because it negates that a riot took place.
Carlson has long held extreme influence over the Republican party, reportedly influencing the decisions of former president Donald Trump while he was in office. In 2021, Republican Senator Ted Cruz spoke out against the January 6, 2021, attacks, but then asked Carlson if he could appear on the Fox show, where he retracted his statements.
However, GOP lawmakers are now speaking out against Carlson’s take on the January 6, 2021, attack in the wake of the unveiled security clips.
Carlson’s presentation of the clips has garnered bipartisan criticism, with many GOP legislators joining Democrats in disproving of Carlson’s take. Newsweek reported that GOP leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, Utah Senator Mitt Romney and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham spoke out against Carlson’s perception of the riot.
Democrats have also voiced criticism of Carlson’s take on the riots, and Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger accused Carlson of cherry-picking specific non-violent footage to fit his “offensive and misleading” agenda on what happened on January 6, 2021.
However, despite widespread criticism of Carlson, he maintains a strong hold on viewers. Ratings for Carlson’s show are the best they’ve been in months, and his show attracted roughly an extra 800,000 this week over last week. Fox told Newsweek that this week is trending to be Tucker Carlson Tonight’s highest-rated week for the year and highest-rated week since August 8, 2022. Data from Nielsen Media Research showed that as of Wednesday, viewers of Tucker Carlson Tonight leaped by 30 percent for viewers over the age of 2 and jumped by 24 percent for viewers aged 25 to 54 versus the same days the previous week.
Data showed that on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Carlson had an average of 3,818,000 viewers, up from 3,009,000 during the same period last week.
Nielsen Media Research data also showed that in January, Tucker Carlson Tonight led every show on CNN and MSNBC for people over the age of 18 and between the ages of 25 and 54. The show was the top program in cable news for Democrats, Independents and Republicans between the ages of 25 and 54.
Carlson maintains that people storming the Capitol were more comparable to “sightseers” than rioters. More than 1,000 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack. Some have already been sentenced to prison and are serving out their sentences.
Fox News has been criticized for its coverage of the 2020 election and the resulting Capitol riot. The network faces legal battles over claims its anchors have made regarding President Joe Biden’s election, including a massive defamation from Dominion Voting Systems which alleges that Fox News anchors, including Carlson, lied about Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims. The lawsuit has released text messages from Carlson and other anchors that revealed the anchors expressing disbelief over Trump’s election fraud claims but publicizing the information to millions of viewers anyway.
These Senators and Representatives that are complaining know only what happened inside the Capital and what they were told by the committee who didn’t even personally examine the video footage. They didn’t witness what took place as peaceful people gathered outside the capital they didn’t see the police or people dressed like police firing into the crowd which included children gathered behind the bike racks. One man was hit in the cheek and had a hole all the way through that looked the size of a quarter. Two elderly men died of heart attacks in that crowd as people panicked. Then after many were trying to get out of the way, the Police or people dressed like police pulled back the bike racks and waved people forward toward the capital steps. In the back of the Capital, there was a man removing the fencing ahead of any coming to the capital. Innocent people were actually funneled into the tunnel walking from the eclipse. Once they were in the tunnel the crowd continued to come not aware that there was nowhere to go once in the tunnel. Then the police began pushing those in the front backward and firing gas into the crowd who then panicked and crushed other patriots underfoot like Roseanne Boylen. This was a planned entrapment of many innocent Patriots in my opinion. Some that were identified struggling with police were trying to save others that were being crushed, they were trying to tell the officers what was happening because of their actions and to PLEASE STOP. Thank you Tucker for putting out the video to furnish more information and not clip and make it to a narrative you’d like to tell. Many elected officials and media claimed the riots in the summer after the Floyd death were mostly peaceful as buildings burned in the background now want to blame patriots for an insurrection which is totally false. Who ever planned this didn’t want discussion on the results of the election they wanted a vote and confirmation and Nancy got it just like she got Obamacare, through deception. When you staff the Capital Police at 1/2 normal numbers when you know a million people might gather knowing there have always been agitators in large crowds you are a fool or you made a plan.
Funny, MUCH of this footage WAS BROADCAST shortly after Jan 6th on One America News Network. I WATCHED police remove barriers allowing the public to access the Capitol building. I SAW the footage of police HOLDING THE DOORS OF THE CAPITOL OPEN for citizens to enter that day. I SAW footage of the “Shamen” touring the building. I WATCHED the footage of unarmed veteran Ashlii Babbitt MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD by INCOMPETENT CAPITOL OFFICER MICHAEL BYRD..
WHERE you get your news MATTERS. That is WHY the Biden administration, the “political class” and the social media TROLLS are working so hard to SILENCE THE TRUTH.
Unless you’re dumb and blind, you simply have to watch what Tucker post our vs what the Jan 6 committee put out. Jan 6 committee doctored up the videos to make everyone look bad, Tuckers were authentic. There were certainly a few bad ones causing some destruction, but compared to the BLM and Antifa riots, it was an Easter party on Jan 6. Very few, if any of these people belong in jail.
I guess you believe what you want to believe. Rather take the spin of a proven liar that the comments and videos of the people breaking into the building and attacking the police.
Really, up to me, If I was the Capitol Police, I would have use rubber bullets or lead on those trying to get to our elected representatives.
You are a moron
if you want the truth tucker will give it to you that’s why i watch him and will as long as he is there
The attack on the capital was an coup to over throw the government. Police officers were attacked and some died. This should never happen again. Treason is a capital offense.
No actually none died. The only attackers were those fronting as trump supporters, FBI and antifa, not real trump supporters. You are the one believing the lie the propaganda. How blind are you really.
People does not watch Tucker because he is Truthful, FAR from it. Even Rupert Murdoch , Fox news owner, testified in court that Tucker, Hannity and Laura all knew the Big Lie was all BS, but nevertheless they sponsored the Big Lie because they were afraid of losing viewers and $$$ to Newsmax or AON. That is not their first lie OR will be the last.
The racists, the white nationalists, the ignorant watch Tucker because he broadcast acceptance to their own dark folly believes and prejudices. There is no remedy to those people, they will not acknowledge facts, we just have to hope they see the peril right wingers represent to our democratic system of governance OR end up dying of old age or another pandemic where they again will ignore good health safe guidelines
You keep telling yourself that Geronimo. You keep being a sheep for the media and keep falling on your sword for their lies. Ticket put out the whole truth yet you brainwashed heartless idiot keep believing what CNN and the government propaganda tell you to believe. I know it’s easier that way. I bet you got all the shots and boosters too.