We haven’t done one of these ‘Tucker on X’ pieces for a while, partially because we haven’t had the time. Indeed, apparently, he has rebranded it as 'The Tucker Carlson Encounter' when we weren’t looking. Still, we definitely wanted to tune in to see what Kyle Rittenhouse had to say. So, without further ado, here’s that interview:
Ep. 52 Kyle Rittenhouse exercised the most basic right of all: the right to self-defense. And he’s still being punished for it. pic.twitter.com/UX4SkzXEVR
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) December 14, 2023
We thought the interview was okay. Early on they referenced a different interview Rittenhouse did where, in Carlson’s eyes, the host seemed to want Rittenhouse to apologize for defending himself. They don’t name the interviewer, but we are willing to bet it was Rittenhouse’s interview with this British antigun toolbag:
We thought Rittenhouse did okay in that interview. We think asking how Rittenhouse felt about killing two people actually was reasonable, and Rittenhouse came off as too defensive, but overall, Piers Morgan’s hostility to the right to self-defense was self-evident. Honestly, we hate to give pointers to gun grabbers, but they would be so much more persuasive if they 1) still believed in the right to defend yourself, and 2) didn’t also hate the First Amendment. Seriously, we haven’t met a gun grabber yet who truly believed in free speech and the right of self-defense.
And to give pointers to the pro-gun side, this is what you say to someone who says that a 17-year-old like Rittenhouse should not be able to have a gun: The militias that helped free this country from the British in the Revolutionary War were documented as containing teenagers as young as fourteen. So, it is partly thanks to a bunch of teenagers that people like Piers Morgan don’t get a say in our gun laws.
So, that is what Rittenhouse should have said, but we’re willing to cut him some slack because, and we can’t emphasize this enough, he’s only twenty years old and, really, he didn’t ask for any of this.
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Returning to the Carlson interview, that was naturally a much friendlier exchange, although Carlson seemed more interested in denouncing the larger failings in our society, than talking about the ins and outs of the case.
For instance, one question we have been dying to hear the answer to is this. Most people who know anything about self-defense with firearms knows that you should usually aim for center mass—essentially the chest. You never shoot at their hands or even head because that part moves more often and more erratically: You’re more likely to miss. So, when Rittenhouse shot Gaige Grosskreutz in the arm, was he trying to shoot his chest and missed? Or did he just decide to try to shoot him in the arm and succeeded?
But Carlson wasn’t very interested in that kind of information, which is a shame.
We think the most interesting news to come out of this interview was that, according to Rittenhouse, the NRA did not help him but the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) did. We have some sympathy for the NRA’s position: They seem to be more about the right to own a gun, and to the extent that they support the right of self-defense, they don’t want to get into the weeds of a specific case.
But we still think NAGR has the right position in this case. Maybe if the facts were murkier, we would see the argument for staying out of it, but the majority of the facts really are beyond dispute and, indeed, caught on video. Once we were able to see those videos, we began to think he was definitely innocent and we feel justice was done in Wisconsin.
Or, at least, justice has been done so far. Rittenhouse is selling a book and while he protests it isn’t to make money, it probably is. But the kid has to deal with a lot of legal bills and the general way that leftists are attempting to ruin his life because he committed the ‘sin’ of refusing to be murdered. Consider for a moment where his income might be if he hadn’t been attacked by the pedophile, Joseph Rosenbaum, setting off a cascade of events that left two people dead and one injured. So, we sympathize with Rittenhouse's plight and we don’t mind sharing the post where he sells his book:
Two years ago today, accused of unjust charges, I heard 'NOT GUILTY' five times over from a jury of my peers who heard the facts.
— Kyle Rittenhouse (@ThisIsKyleR) November 19, 2023
My case split the nation into opposing sides fueled by emotions, politics, and misconceptions driven by media and political figures.
Today, I want…
Or if you prefer to give to his legal defense, you can do that, too:
Thank you to everyone who continues to donate and help me fight this lawsuit. We still have a long tough fight ahead of us but with your support I’m confident we can come out on top https://t.co/8VSnVFoagc
— Kyle Rittenhouse (@ThisIsKyleR) March 24, 2023
As for Carlson, we haven’t talked about any potential conflict he might have with Fox News for a while. But we will note that Carlson seems to have escalated things by starting a new streaming service:
He's back. pic.twitter.com/vDwQ5JFKlH
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) December 11, 2023
Up until now, Carlson was doing these interviews and segments, and seemingly getting no income from it, but still doing basically the same kinds of things he used to do on his old show on Fox News. Maybe he got some ad revenue sharing from Twitter/X but that’s the only money we think he had coming in. Now he is streaming, for pay. This author is not sure he is willing to pony up for the service, but that makes Carlson look much more like competition for Fox News. We have to assume he has talked to a lawyer about it and decided either 1) nothing in any contract stops him from doing this or 2) Fox News won’t dare to enforce the contract. At this point, we think the only way he could be more provocative of Fox News is if he started a new show on Newsmax or another rightwing competitor. But from what Carlson has said in the past, he doesn’t want to do that. He wants to be essentially his own boss, from now on.
Still, as of this writing we haven’t heard of Fox News even reacting to all of this. We would say that if they don’t do something by the end of the year, they aren’t likely to do anything at all in response to this provocation.
In any case, reactions were swift about the episode:
Kyle Rittenhouse is an American patriot for defending himself and his fellow Americans in the face of violent evil aggressors.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) December 14, 2023
God bless him for having the strength to persevere and to defend himself admirably at trial afterwards.
Another great person for Tucker to interview!
We appreciate Rittenhouse’s humility in saying he is not a hero, but he kind of was. Even if you don't think self-defense is itself heroic, he could have stayed home. He could have done no more than be ready to defend his home and family. Instead, he went out in an effort to protect his community, knowing his life might end up being in danger. I doubt that he wanted things to go the way it did, and we believe he made a tactical error letting himself get separated from his group, but he showed courage in even leaving his front door. For that, he is rightly considered heroic.
Kyle was a young man who grew up really quick. Now being interviewed by Tucker.
— floridanow1 (@floridanow1) December 14, 2023
Kyle stood up for self defense and won. pic.twitter.com/3udZc3SNx1
How was Kyle any different from these heroes during the Los Angeles riots? pic.twitter.com/esHa5KhnMk
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) December 14, 2023
*Raises hand* We know! We know! Rittenhouse was defending someone else’s property.
Jokes aside, there isn’t much of a difference, but to be fair, leftists hate them, too.
I am CANCELING my @NRA membership after realizing that they refuse to help this poor kid who did nothing wrong.
— Mila Joy (@MilaLovesJoe) December 15, 2023
Shame on the #NRA.#CancelNRA
We have a feeling the NRA is going to get serious blowback over this.
He absolutely deserves none of what’s happened or happening to him & his family.
— Denny Green (@DennyGr28530407) December 14, 2023
This single event alone showed the public just how evil and to what depths the Left & their media will go to push their lies to support their narratives.
God bless Kyle Rittenhouse 🙏
People, after seeing the videos, attack this kid still. It's ridiculous. Why have laws? Why have court? These people only want to allow their side the benefit of these things. Including the deceased criminals who attacked Kyle.
— MoTheProblem (@TheShTHeSays2u) December 14, 2023
Relevant for nowadays… pic.twitter.com/LX53NxBYWo
— Liberty NH 🦔 (@NHpilled) December 14, 2023
It was kind of ridiculous when Rittenhouse said that they would feel differently if he was Israeli. Respectfully, the leftist media hates Israel almost as much as Rittenhouse.
I was SHOCKED to learn the NRA has done nothing to help Kyle Rittenhouse in his fight for 2nd Amendment right.
— 𝐂𝐂 (@ChatByCC) December 15, 2023
Shame on @NRA. You want us to support you but won’t support us in our time of need. https://t.co/wUv58b2ROV
Also, the Target Douche had to weigh in:
It’s the same show every night on X
— Luke Zaleski (@ZaleskiLuke) December 15, 2023
the new Fox sleepy bedtime storyteller https://t.co/qM5AsNzVg3
Which is a silly criticism. This was not repetitive of anything we are aware of, and if he is implying that Rittenhouse isn't telling the truth, a jury of his peers didn't agree. Or, he might just have watched the videos to figure it out.
It hit differently.
— Sandy 〽️ (@RightGlockMom) December 14, 2023
Where previously we saw Kyle as a brave kid of principle, tonight I saw him as a smart kid who needs protection.
He should go to Hillsdale https://t.co/PSYFZRVrSB
Kyle Rittenhouse exercised the most basic right of all: the right to self-defense. And he’s still being punished for it. https://t.co/MTExMj2goY
— BREAKING NEWZ Alert (@MustReadNewz) December 15, 2023
It's still insane to me that people call this kid (Rittenhouse) a murderer. Try the same thing in the same scenario and you probably won't make it off that street. https://t.co/G50vSMA9Zd
— Brad (@SlickleRick) December 14, 2023
The line from Tucker saying that the rioters were a militia for the Democratic party is verifiably accurate. Many weren't rioting because of police brutality. They were rioting because they wanted Trump out of office. Any unbiased person could see that. https://t.co/FAE5gKLjdi
— Atlas Shrugged (@Michael93345270) December 15, 2023
🐂💩
— OldandFedup (@FribourgNancy) December 14, 2023
He murdered a human being because you and your buddies had a racist agenda. https://t.co/C05PlfClsY
It’s always hard to take people like this seriously, when they don’t know the basic facts. This guy apparently doesn’t know Rittenhouse killed two people. If he did, he would probably have said he ‘murdered’ two people, at a minimum, because either he doesn’t believe in self-defense, doesn’t recognize it when he sees it, or, more likely, never even looked at the evidence.
Kyle Rittenhouse is being groomed. https://t.co/qCAf9Dz0E6
— Anakin (@geckogroyper) December 14, 2023
We can't even with these people. So, let's have a Tweet that is on the side of righteousness to close this out as a palate cleanser.
Kyle Rittenhouse did more to rid the world of sexual predators than a whole gaggle of FBI employees working for Twitter at the time. https://t.co/V8Spop4zXJ
— TheTexasOne (@TexasRepublic71) December 14, 2023
Snort. Or the agents working the Epstein case, apparently.
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