MAGA Backs Tucker Carlson's 'Real Journalism' Amid Putin Visit

Some conservatives and supporters of former President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement are backing former Fox News host Tucker Carlson's decision to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin, proclaiming it as "real journalism."

Carlson, host of Tucker Carlson Tonight from 2016 to 2023, was abruptly ousted from Fox in late April for reasons that remain unclear. Carlson has since taken to X, formerly Twitter, and his own website, the Tucker Carlson Network, to continue his political commentary.

Amid a recent visit to Moscow, many have speculated Carlson might be there to interview the Russian president. Carlson has frequently taken complimentary or supportive stances on Putin and Russia, especially amid the country's invasion of Ukraine, with some opponents accusing him of parroting Russian government propaganda.

In a video shared to X on Tuesday, Carlson confirmed the reports he would be interviewing Putin amid his current trip, adding that he made the decision "because it's our job. We're in journalism. Our duty is to inform people."

Newsweek on Tuesday reached out to the Tucker Carlson Network via email for comment.

Carlson, who will be the first American to interview Putin since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war almost two years ago, suggested the interview has yet to take place and did not specify when it would air, but said it would be published "unedited" and "not behind a paywall" on his personal website.

Since confirming the interview, some Republicans have voiced their support for Carlson, calling his meeting with Putin "real journalism."

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote on X, "This is what REAL journalism looks like from @TuckerCarlson. And @elonmusk is protecting free speech and free press on this platform by allowing Tucker to interview Vladimir Putin."

Republican Representative Matt Gaetz also backed Carlson, writing on X, "Real Journalism."

Newsweek on Tuesday reached out to the offices of Greene and Gaetz via email for comment.

Others, however, have criticized Carlson over his trip to Russia. Former U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, on Saturday took to X, calling the former Fox host a "traitor" and sharing a poll asking his followers if Carlson is "on Putin's payroll," with the answer options being "yes," "of course" or "no he just LOVES him." As of Sunday morning, "yes" led the poll with 62.4 percent of the vote from over 16,000 respondents.

Kinzinger represented districts in Illinois from 2011 to 2023, emerging later in his tenure as an outspoken critic of Trump and the MAGA movement.

In his video, Carlson said that he had been motivated to sit down with Putin because "the populations of the English-speaking countries" were ill-informed about the war in Ukraine "because no one has told them the truth."

Carlson in September said that he had previously attempted to interview the Russian leader. "I tried to interview [Putin], and the U.S. government stopped me," he told Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche.