Former President Donald Trump added himself to the growing list of conservatives expressing shock at Tucker Carlson’s abrupt departure from Fox News on Monday, saying he was “surprised” at the decision.
During a Monday interview on Newsmax about the split, Trump said he was “shocked” to learn of Carlson’s departure from the network and went on to praise the now-former cable news host as a “good man.”
“I’m surprised. He’s a very good person and a very good man, and very talented,” Trump said. “I think Tucker’s been terrific, especially over the last year or so.”
The former president later took to Truth Social on Monday night to offer additional praise for Carlson, saying the “fact that Tucker Carlson will no longer be on FoxNews is a big blow to Cable News, and to America.”
“Tucker was insightful, interesting, and ratings gold. He will be greatly missed!” Trump added.
On Monday, Fox News released a press release revealing the network and Carlson had “agreed to part ways” but didn’t provide a specific reason as to why Carlson was leaving. The network furthermore said the last episode of the former host’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” — which has consistently ranked as the highest-rated show on cable news — aired on Friday.
Over the past several years, Carlson arguably provided the most insightful and newsworthy analysis of current events among D.C. political pundits. Earlier this year, Carlson aired previously withheld footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, contradicting numerous falsehoods peddled by Democrat politicos and their allies in the corporate media. The former Fox News host was also instrumental in highlighting significant aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic legacy media chose to ignore, specifically the probable theory that the respiratory virus leaked out of a lab in Wuhan, China, and the risks associated with the Covid jabs.