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It seems the right is still deeply weirded out over the fact that Democratic President Joe Biden shows his family demonstrable affection.
First, they had a field day mocking Biden for "inappropriately" kissing his son on the cheek. Now, Fox News host Tucker Carlson is so disturbed by Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's affectionate marriage that he's cooked up a whole conspiracy theory to explain it away.
According to Carlson, the Bidens are affectionate with each other because their 44-year marriage is a PR sham.
"Their love is as real as climate change" Tucker Carlson's newest bizarre take is that Jill and Joe Bidens' 44-yea… https://t.co/eHQ8t35Mmp— Kat Abu (@Kat Abu) 1613524561.0
Carlson's comments came in response to Valentine's Day-themed coverage of the First Couple's relationship.
It was a piece in Politico which referred to the Biden's PDAs as "genuine" and "restorative" that seemed to set Carlson off. He immediately launched into a sarcastic, eye-rolling take-down of the Bidens' displays of not demonstrably hating each other's guts like the last First Couple seemed to.
Carlson all but spat into the camera:
"Not since Antony dined with Cleopatra in downtown Antioch ― before they killed themselves, obviously ― has a country witnessed a love story as poignant as Jill and Joe's... Together, they are like besotted teens, yet, at the same time, they are the wise and knowing parents of a nation."
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But that was just the tip of the iceberg.
As if the phrase "downtown Antioch" weren't dumb enough (you know, downtown Antioch, the city of antiquity famous for its high-rises and a BC-era Starbucks on every corner, kind of like Cincinnati but with a Roman forum?), Carlson then took a sharp left turn into crazy town.
He rattled off a bizarre conspiracy theory to explain the Bidens' relationship.
"So it's official: The Bidens' affection is totally real. It's in no way part of a slick PR campaign devised by cynical consultants determined to hide the president's senility by misdirection. Not at all! Their love is as real as climate change."
Forty-four years of marriage as a PR stunt. Interesting take!
That's aside from the fact that climate change is real, so Tucker seems to be contracting himself, but it's probably in all of our best interests if we just leave that alone.
In any case, Twitter found this whole thing patently absurd.
It's almost as if Tucker Carlson is an a-hole https://t.co/oWSeYTDKcL— Fark (@Fark) 1613596856.0
@abughazalehkat @Acyn Tucker went on to note that this is the picture showing true love. https://t.co/dghLmdSODq— Mike ⚖️🍑 (@Mike ⚖️🍑) 1613525809.0
@abughazalehkat They're so jealous of them because: 1) She will never swat his hand away. 2) He will never have to… https://t.co/CawBoIKlRr— Barbara Davis, author (@Barbara Davis, author) 1613579789.0
@abughazalehkat This is Tucker Carlson's line of attack? They pay him for this?— Kathy Sullivan (@Kathy Sullivan) 1613567369.0
@abughazalehkat This is just weird, I really don’t think they have any idea how to go after him— Brendel (@Brendel) 1613524719.0
... as opposed to the Trumps? https://t.co/xZG7OkfPwM— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1613565140.0
I guess it was a slow news day. https://t.co/WQc3kuivLW— James Surowiecki (@James Surowiecki) 1613567608.0
ok so it's real and super hot? what are you saying https://t.co/glmoRyJ17E— Emily Atkin (@Emily Atkin) 1613573128.0
My Biden love story is that I once watched Joe walk onto AF2 and get very concerned that Jill wasn’t already there.… https://t.co/gUDTu1qBy8— Michael Grunwald (@Michael Grunwald) 1613567049.0
Good to know that not hating each other is all it takes for a First Couple to ruin the right's Valentine's Day.