The Family Leadership Summit was held in Iowa, the first state to nominate a Republican for president. The Fox News personality, Tucker Carlson, spoke there. He arrived to a thunderous ovation, shamelessly charmed his hosts, enlightened them on his political philosophy, and offered them items bearing his name. As far as anyone is aware, Tucker Carlson’s visit to Iowa on Friday did not involve a presidential campaign, despite the fact that it appeared to be one, moved like one, and sounded like one.
The Summit, a gathering of more than 1,800 religious conservatives in Des Moines, Iowa, featured the Fox News host as the keynote speaker. When businessman and reality TV celebrity Donald Trump said that Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, was “not a war hero” at the same event in the same state seven years ago, it seemed to instantly endanger McCain’s campaign.
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The 53-year-old Carlson, a fellow political novice and media personality, has been hailed as a prospective Trump successor who might run for president by fanning the same fires of populism, white identity politics, and the desire for a leader who says what he thinks—the more outrageous the better.
Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa, and Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving US senator in Iowa history, served as Carlson’s opening acts at the conference and both praised the supreme court’s decision to terminate the constitutional right to abortion. Carlson gave a 42-minute speech while wearing a dark blue jacket, a blue checkered shirt, a blue and yellow striped tie, and grey slacks. His speech checked several of the usual boxes for a potential contender.
(with inputs from agencies)
