Tucker Carlson drew national attention Thursday for his critique of Florida’s newly enacted antisemitism law, which he argued could criminalize criticism of Israel or its supporters.
Speaking with former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, Carlson expressed disbelief that “a bunch of different states, including Florida,” have “codified antisemitism as a crime,” interpreting it so broadly that disagreements over Israeli policies could be treated as illegal.
He added, “The claim that someone is ‘Israel first’ is a crime in the state of Florida.”
Carlson warned that these laws resemble European-style hate crime statutes that may restrict free expression in unfair ways.
“I think we’re going to wake up one morning with European hate crimes laws written in a way that is not fair at all, that doesn’t affect justice,” he said.
In a separate discussion with Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, Carlson praised Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pandemic leadership but questioned whether influential Zionist donors shaped the governor’s foreign policy decisions.
The former Fox host sharply criticized DeSantis for traveling to Israel to sign Florida’s antisemitism legislation.
Carlson described the act as “obviously unconstitutional, it’s immoral, but it’s also part of an elaborate humiliation where you have to… not just enslave your own people with a hate speech law — which that is, it’s slavery — but you have to go kiss someone else’s wall to show your obedience.”
He said the move prompted him to withdraw his support for the governor.
Carlson highlighted remarks from Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Collins stated, “You have a right to free speech, but you don’t have the right to harm other people with your words… When you want people to destroy Israel, that matters,” according to LifeSite News.
Carlson ridiculed the comment.
“Oh, you don’t have the right to say things that people in charge don’t like. You don’t?” he asked. “That’s the whole point [of free speech]! If you don’t have that right, you are a slave and Jay Collins is your master.”
Kelly, an attorney and former Fox host, joined Carlson in defending broad First Amendment protections.
“I absolutely do [have the right]! And it’s actually what makes us fundamentally American… I have every right to insult you, to speak hatefully about you. And it’s glorious! It makes it wonderful to live here,” she said.
Kelly cautioned that criminalizing speech about Israel might unintentionally increase antisemitic sentiment rather than curb it.
Carlson also criticized DeSantis’ approach to the Ukraine War, noting reports that billionaire donor Ken Griffin influenced the governor to shift from labeling the conflict a “territorial dispute” to emphasizing U.S. support.
Carlson argued that this shift, combined with signing the Israel law abroad, raised concerns about the governor’s independence.
DeSantis dismissed Carlson’s comments as “bizarre,” adding that he stopped following the commentator closely after Carlson left Fox News, according to Florida Politics.
Despite their disagreements, both Carlson and Kelly stressed that protecting free speech—including opinions that may offend, shock, or anger—is central to American liberty.
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