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Tucker Carlson and the rest of the Fox News team are well known for their unabashed support of anything Republican President Donald Trump does or says. Refusing to remove himself from his privately owned company before taking office? He gets a pass. Cheating on his wife Melania with a pornstar then paying her over $100k in hush money during the campaign? No big deal. Hiring and working closely with multiple men who have been indicted on charges of corruption, perjury, and collusion with a foreign power? Fake news. But there's one thing Carlson absolutely cannot abide: guns being taken away
In response to the massive public outcry prompted by the shooting in Parkland, Florida, President Trump decided to televise a meeting with legislators for the second time. His intention was obviously to show the American people that he had their best interests at heart and that progress was being made on the topic of gun control. Not unlike his first "open meeting," what resulted was a strange and often baffling series of comments from a President who, if he truly does understand the intricacies of gun control, didn't seem to conform to his party's views on the issue.
Perhaps most notably, Trump seemed to suggest law enforcement should, in some cases, take away guns without due process:
The police saw that he was a problem, they didn't take any guns away. Now that could have been policing, but they should have taken them away anyway, whether they had the right or not.
Later, in response to Vice-President Mike Pence commenting on due process, Trump cleared up any misunderstanding:
Mike, take the firearms first and then go to court, because that's another system. A lot of times, by the time you go to court, it takes so long to go to court, to get the due process procedures. I like taking the guns early.
The idea of confiscating guns without due process is something Carlson simply cannot abide, Republican President or not.
Tucker began the segment by recognizing that while even the President's staunchest supporters have to deal with some daily headaches in the form of his tweets and un-presidential behaviors, the endless feuds and rumors of White House chaos are ultimately worth it because, in his eyes, Trump delivers on his core platform: thinking of America first, laying a hard line on immigration, and (most importantly) keeping a Democrat out of the Presidency.
But, according to Carlson, if Trump begins wavering on his promises like protecting the second amendment, his supporters will not be willing to put up with him anymore.
In a strangely salient moment, Carlson poses a question Democrats have been asking since the beginning of Trump's Presidency:
I mean now, how honest do you want to be? Imagine if Barack Obama had said that. 'Just ignore due process and start confiscating guns!' Well, Obama would have been denounced as a dictator - we would have denounced him first, trust me. Congress would be talking impeachment right now. Some would be muttering about secession.
@maxwelltani @brianstelter We have a winner in the "Is there anything Trump can say to get them to denounce him" de… https://t.co/7WjA9giLHa— Fascism flattened, but never the webrant🕺------🕺 (@Fascism flattened, but never the webrant🕺------🕺) 1519954889.0
Tucker also gave Trump a warning regarding the 2nd amendment and how it will affect the upcoming election.
Those rights are what makes us citizens and not mere subjects of the powerful, and the president needs to be reminded of that. Maybe we all do once in a while. If voters wanted that kind of government, they could have voted Democrat, and actually they still have a chance to vote Democrat in the midterms, which he should keep in mind.
President Trump gave Tucker plenty of reasons to get steamed during the rest of his meeting, in which he seemed to side with Democrats just as often as he did with Republicans. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas shared what he thought of the event:
I thought it was fascinating television and it was surreal to actually be there.
Trump also accused Republican Senator Pat Toomey of being "afraid" of the NRA, and derided President Obama for the failture for the Manchin-Toomey bill, despite a lack of knowledge as to what the bill contained. To top it all off, Trump at one point suggested banning assault rifles, a long-held staple of the Democratic platform, which drew open laughter from flabergasted legislators.
Feinstein's reaction when Trump says she should add assault weapons ban to Manchin-Toomey https://t.co/7dlKxwa1KO— Ryan Struyk (@Ryan Struyk) 1519851214.0
After watching the meeting, we understand Carlson's frustration.
Not everyone may agree with Tucker's stance on gun control, but it's always bad news when your President doesn't seem to know anything about the laws he's supposed to be enforcing.
Trump met w/ lawmakers on gun control where he bullied GOP who defend the 2A & said govt should "take guns first, g… https://t.co/CQDl1VQf49— Tucker Carlson (@Tucker Carlson) 1519955335.0
H/T - Huffpost, Huffpost, The New York Times, YouTube