Former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson lashed out amid news that his old Fox News producer resigned after the network drew criticism for referring to Democratic President Joe Biden as a "wannabe dictator."
The claim appeared in a chyron—the text that appears at the bottom of the screen—during the show Fox News Tonight hosted by Brian Kilmeade. The show aired images of both Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump side by side.
The employee, identified as Alexander McCaskill, the former managing editor of Tucker Carlson Tonight, resigned following the incident, as confirmed by Carlson on his Twitter show. According to reports from The Daily Beast, two sources have corroborated the departure, aligning with Carlson's account of the situation.
Carlson suggested McCaskill was pressured to resign and went on to baselessly accuse Democrats of spearheading a hit campaign to hold someone responsible for smearing Biden.
You can hear what Carlson said in the video below.
\u201cEp. 4 Wannabe Dictator\u201d— Tucker Carlson (@Tucker Carlson) 1686868221
Carlson said:
“First they scolded the producer who put the banner on the screen. Less than 24 hours after that, he resigned. He had been at Fox for more than a decade."
"He was considered one of the most capable people in the building. He offered to stay for the customary two weeks, but Fox told him to clear out his desk and leave immediately.”
He added:
“The Democrats were very very angry. But why were they angry? If the banner on Fox was false, why the hysteria?"
"Lies don’t seem to bother anyone anymore. If some cable news producer had called Joe Biden a genius, or accused him of being secretly Sudanese, would anyone be yelling about it?"
"Would Fox News have apologized for it? Probably not.”
Carlson was swiftly criticized for his remarks.
\u201c@TuckerCarlson In order for trump to be innocent everyone else has to be guilty\u2014That\u2019s how Tucker and trump use his criminality as a con and platform to spread misinformation and pervasive conspiracy theories that erode the fabric of society and reality and law and order\u201d— Tucker Carlson (@Tucker Carlson) 1686868221
\u201c@RonFilipkowski Tucker Carlson's White Power Hour still has way too many refugees hiding out at the right wing Fox "news" propaganda network.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski (@Ron Filipkowski) 1686945226
\u201c@RonFilipkowski I'm sure the rest of his crew still at Fox appreciate the bull's eye painted on them. \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Ron Filipkowski (@Ron Filipkowski) 1686945226
\u201cOf course it was Tucker Carlson\u2019s editor Alexander McCaskill who put up the Wannabe Dictator Chyron at Fox. He\u2019s working at Tucker\u2019s barn now.\u201d— Hoodlum \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Hoodlum \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1686945874
\u201c@HuffPost if he was "considered one of the most capable people in the building", you have to ask whether he deliberately got himself canned, & how long it will be before he pops-up in tuck'ums shed\u201d— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1686942020
\u201c@HuffPost Tucker Carlson, who helped to cost Fox News $787 Million, has thoughts about his buddy airing defamatory remark\u201d— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1686942020
\u201cPeople are afraid. Confused. Unsure. Angry. So they will believe anything. They\u2019ll believe the worst. They\u2019ll believe conspiracies. And lies.\n\nThis is why Trump, Tucker Carlson, RFK Jr, and many others have the followings they do.\u201d— Joe Walsh (@Joe Walsh) 1686921129
The Fox News segment at the controversy's center came after Trump was arraigned following the decision by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to formally charge him for committing federal crimes. The agency investigated his mishandling and hiding classified documents he possessed after leaving office and impeding the government's attempts to retrieve them.
The chyron prominently labeled Biden as a "wannabe dictator," creating a provocative visual representation that immediately drew attention. The juxtaposition of the images suggested a false narrative that Biden had orchestrated the arrest of his political rival.
For instance, just last week House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made the false claim Biden ordered Trump's arrest himself only to be called out by a Democratic colleague who charged he was "intentionally misleading the public" in the wake of the indictment.
Fox News faced backlash for the controversial chyron and Kilmeade's comments, which were perceived as perpetuating false narratives. Critics argued labeling Biden a "wannabe dictator" was unfounded and inflammatory and the network was accused of employing sensationalist tactics to influence public opinion while ignoring criminal activity.
