Welcome to a typical day in Magaland. The sun is shining, the leaves are falling, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is fantasizing about “Daddy” Donald Trump spanking teenage girls.
This fresh hell came via Duluth, Georgia, where Mr. Carlson was preparing for a Trump rally Wednesday night. This in itself is noteworthy, since Carlson was not necessarily a big fan of the former president. Last year, as part of a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News, dozens of Carlson’s private text messages were released, revealing his true feelings toward Trump. It was revealed that.
On January 4, 2021, Carlson sent a message to a private recipient saying she was “very close to being able to ignore Trump almost every night,” adding, “I really can’t wait.” She added: “I hate him with all my heart.”
Carlson’s spanking fantasy encapsulates everything supporters love about the presidential candidate.
But rather than ignoring Trump, as he once seemed excited to do, Carlson, who was ousted from Fox News last year, appears to have become a confidant of the former president. And now he’s giving a disturbing speech on Trump’s behalf. During the rally, Carlson, who has three adult daughters, likened the United States under Trump to a mischievous girl being disciplined by her father. “If you let your hormonal 15-year-old daughter slam the door and give you the finger, you’re going to get a lot more,” Carlson said. “Your father will come home someday.” At this point, the crowd erupted in cheers.
“Dad comes home and he’s angry,” Carlson continues. “He’s not vindictive, he loves his kids. He loves them, even if they’re disobedient… And when dad comes home, you know what he says? You’ve been a bad boy and now you’re getting a hard spanking. No, it doesn’t hurt me more than it hurts you. I’m not going to. It’s going to hurt you a lot more than it’s going to hurt me. And you earned this. You’re getting a hard spanking because you were a bad boy. I’m sure it will.”
Clearly, this resonated with the audience. Then, as Trump appeared on stage, they chanted “Daddy’s Home” and “Daddy Don.” Sigmund Freud tried to rise from the grave.
Harris campaign spokesman James Singer called the speech “absolutely bizarre.” And for many, it certainly was. But for cult Trump supporters, Carlson’s spanking fantasies encapsulate everything they love about the presidential candidate: paternalism, toxic masculinity, a thirst for violence, a thirst for revenge. .
The idea of Trump as a father figure has also influenced the candidate’s portrayal of himself. Although Trump hasn’t explicitly told people to call him daddy (that I know of), he has tried to portray himself as a protector of women. For example, at a recent rally in Pennsylvania, President Trump said he would save women. “You will no longer feel abandoned, you will no longer be alone, you will no longer be afraid…you will no longer feel insecure from all the problems our country has today,” Trump said. “You will be protected, and I will be your guardian.”
Nothing seems to test the faith of President Trump’s most ardent supporters, but the idea of the former president as a protector may be slowly losing ground among white women. About 47% of white women voted for Trump in 2016, compared to 45% for Hillary Clinton. And in 2020, 53% of white women voted for Trump, compared to 46% for Joe Biden. But now, thanks in large part to the overturning of abortion rights, it appears many white women are finally breaking with the Republican Party.
But as women move away from Trump, more men are flocking to him. Trump has always had overwhelming support from white men, but recently he has seen an increase in support from Hispanic and African American men. And for many of these men, the idea that a tough guy like Trump would put a woman in his place unfortunately seems very convincing. Carlson is certainly not alone in promoting xenophobic fantasies. In August, for example, Fox News host Jesse Watters declared that if elected, Harris would “paralyze in the Situation Room while the generals get their way.” The comment was enough to disgust even Watters’ co-host. I asked him to take it back. Instead, Watters doubled down. “Do what you want and control her, not in a sexual way,” he laughed.
Harris’ spokesperson may dismiss Carlson’s unpleasant speech as “weird,” but it’s more frightening than strange. The idea that Trump is a father figure who spanks women into submission seems to resonate with many anxious Americans. It is highly likely that Trump will be voted into office again in just two weeks. If he does, there is no doubt that democracy will suffer.
