In a recent episode of his show, Tucker Carlson made a bold claim, stating that 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced more hatred from the media than former President Donald Trump did during his presidential campaign in 2015. Carlson’s statement came during the sixth episode of “Tucker on Twitter,” where he asserted that no presidential candidate had been despised by the media as much as Kennedy.
While acknowledging that many would assume Trump held that title, Carlson urged his audience to examine the media coverage surrounding both candidates. According to Carlson, Trump received relatively favorable treatment, likening it to a gentle scalp massage, when compared to the immediate and aggressive attacks on Kennedy by the media. He highlighted an example to support his argument, contrasting the New York Times’ coverage of Trump’s campaign announcement in 2015 with their coverage of Kennedy’s recent presidential campaign announcement.
When Trump declared his candidacy, the New York Times, in the 17th paragraph of their story, mentioned that he was both well-known and widely disliked, citing a poll to support this claim. Carlson deemed this as the extent of the attack on Trump. However, when Kennedy announced his campaign, the New York Times wasted no time, launching an attack on him in the very first sentence of their story. The article described Kennedy’s campaign as one centered around re-litigating Covid-19 shutdowns and undermining Americans’ trust in science. Carlson painted a vivid picture of an ordinary New York Times subscriber reading this description and feeling appalled, as if Kennedy had declared war on the principles of the Enlightenment itself.
Carlson further asserted that the media’s coverage of Kennedy over the past eighteen years has consistently portrayed his thoughts as evil and harmful to people. He suggested that this relentless negative tone had been pervasive in the media’s treatment of Kennedy.
When Trump rolled out his presidential campaign in 2015, the New York Times waited until the 17th paragraph of the story to attack him. ‘But as well known as he is,’ the paper said at the time, ‘Trump is also widely disliked.’ And then they cited a poll to back it up. That was the attack on Trump. Eight years later, the Times attacked Bobby Kennedy in the very first sentence of the story. Quote, ‘Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,’ the paper declared, ‘announced a presidential campaign on Wednesday built on re-litigating Covid-19 shutdowns and shaking Americans’ faith in science.’ Shaking Americans’ faith in science. Imagine if you were an ordinary New York Times subscriber reading that over coffee in your pre-war, rent-controlled duplex on Columbus Avenue. You’d think Bobby Kennedy just declared war on the enlightenment. ‘My fellow Americans, I have come to shake your faith in science. Join me as I drag our nation back to the medieval period.’ You’d be appalled.
