The Kremlin might have the solution if Tucker Carlson is looking for a job.
Carlson received a job offer from Russian state media outlets just hours after Fox News abruptly announced his departure. These outlets have fervently backed the invasion of Ukraine and share much of his paranoid tone.
Carlson is well known for his critical views on Western assistance to Kyiv, and he has used his platform to call into question the enormous sums of money and military assistance the U.S. has provided to assist in fending off Moscow's ongoing invasion.
"Hey @TuckerCarlson, you can always question more with @RT_com," wrote RT on its English-language Twitter account on Monday, Apr. 24. RT, the broadcaster formerly known as Russia Today, is prohibited in dozens of nations, including the whole European Union.
The most prominent commentator on Russian state television and a fervent supporter of the Kremlin, Vladimir Solovyov, invited Carlson to participate in his nightly panel discussion show while suggesting that he should think about running for president.
"You have our admiration and support in any endeavor you choose for yourself next, be it running for President of the United States (which you should totally do, by the way) or making an independent media project," he wrote in an email, according to a screen grab he shared on his Telegram channel.
Alongside the message on Telegram, Solovyov wrote in English: "Tucker, come join us. You don't have to be afraid of taking the piss out of Biden here," using a common British expression for mocking someone.
There is conjecture as to where Carlson would get his next job, whether it be on a different right-leaning news network in the United States or abroad.
Viktor Orbán, the autocratic and pro-Russian far-right leader of Hungary, and Carlson have a close relationship, NBC News reported.
In 2021, Carlson spent a week in Budapest, Hungary's capital, hosting his Fox News program.
Carlson produced a documentary in 2022 named "Hungary vs. Soros: Fight for Civilization" which made reference to George Soros, a 92-year-old Jewish businessman and philanthropist who was born in Hungary and has been used as a scapegoat by right-wing conspiracy theorists in both Europe and the United States.
He has called President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — who is lauded around the world for the steadfast defense of his country — a "dictator" who has misused the more than $77 billion the U.S. has sent in aid, Carlson has argued.
The job offers could be a ruse to "troll" the West, according to Jon Roozenbeek, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge and a specialist in Russian propaganda and misinformation.
Since the conflict in Ukraine started in 2014, when Russian-backed paramilitary groups established internationally unrecognized administrations in Luhansk and Donetsk, Western governments have gradually imposed restrictions on Russian state TV channels.
This is also the same year that Russia sparked international outrage by annexing Crimea.
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