Donald Trump Jr. criticized Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida for not publicly commenting on former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s departure from the conservative network.
“It’s been almost a week since Fox News fired Tucker Carlson & Ron DeSantis STILL hasn’t found the courage to say a word about it,” Trump Jr. said in a Sunday Twitter post.
Fox News announced it had parted ways with Carlson on April 24 in a statement that said the host’s last show had aired on April 21. His departure has already had a dramatic impact on the network, and viewers in Carlson’s former time slot have reportedly decreased by 50 percent.
Carlson’s exit came days after Fox News agreed to a $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. The star pundit also made headlines during Dominion’s defamation lawsuit when legal documents released as part of the case revealed that he said in private text messages from 2021 that he “passionately” hated former President Donald Trump.
In his Sunday tweet, Trump Jr. also accused DeSantis of being afraid of former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is on the board of directors of Fox News’ parent company.
“We already know he flip-flopped on Ukraine because of his donors, so I guess it’s unsurprising that he’s afraid to cross Paul Ryan & Fox,” Trump wrote in the post that’s garnered more than 2,000 replies as of press time.
DeSantis has been facing mounting scrutiny from various factions of the GOP as he is believed to be mulling a bid for his party’s 2024 presidential nomination. He’s also been fending off criticism from some parts of the Republican Party for his ongoing feud and legal battle with Disney, as well as his recent signing of a six-week abortion ban in Florida.
Trump Jr.’s tweet calling out DeSantis for staying silent about Carlson was met with some backlash from social media users.
Many of these online critics brought up Trump Jr.’s stance on the Bud Light boycott, where he tried to encourage people to not boycott the beer brand for its decision to partner with a transgender model.
“It’s been almost a few weeks since The Bud Light problem and Don Jr STILL hasn’t found the courage to boycott Bud Light,” one Twitter user said.
Others questioned why DeSantis needs to acknowledge the dealings between an employer and its former employee.
“Why does he need to comment on a talk show host being let go by his employer? I don’t need any politicians’ opinions on the matter,” one person said in response to Trump Jr.’s tweet. “There are many more pressing issues to focus on.”
However, not all were critical of Trump Jr.’s tweet, and some Twitter users praised him for bringing up the point about DeSantis remaining silent on the issue.
When the news broke that Tucker was ousted at Fox, dozens of high-profile Republicans weighed in, including Trump Jr.
“Confirmed: Tucker Carlson out at Fox News. OMG,” Trump Jr. tweeted at the time.
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