In 2022, Tucker Carlson delivered keynote remarks at The FAMiLY Leadership Summit in Des Moines. One of the targets of his speech that day, Nikki Haley, would ironically share the stage with him in 2023 at the same event.
But in 2022, Carlson explained why Nikki Haley should not run the country. He discussed her immediate reaction to the George Floyd incident.
We spent the last couple of days celebrating our son’s graduation. Tonight I turned on the news and am heartbroken. It’s important to understand that the death of George Floyd was personal and painful for many. In order to heal, it needs to be personal and painful for everyone.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) May 30, 2020
Tucker took exception to Haley’s declaration that it needs to be “personal and painful for everyone” in order for healing to happen.
“Really, why’s that,” Carlson said. “And of course, what happened next was personal and painful for everyone. Our cities burned down. A lot of people died. And I thought, ‘Why should what happened between a cop and George Floyd outside a convenience store in Minneapolis be personal and painful to anybody else? What are you even talking about? Oh, you have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re trying to please the people whose opinions you actually care about at The New York Times.'”
Tucker said at the time it didn’t mean he thought Haley was a bad person — noting he’s always liked her. If she were there, he said he would tell her:
“‘I like you. Don’t want you in charge of anything,'” he said. “Because, the second things get intense, the second the other side really unleashes and starts yelling so loudly that you can’t think clearly, I want a leader who can still think clearly.”
While we were in Iowa last week, we spoke about some of the politicians who should not be running the country. Here's one of them. pic.twitter.com/sJBSmpKiuN
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 19, 2022
Tucker was unrelenting at the time as well. He highlighted Haley at the 13:30 mark, saying nobody seemed angrier at America than Haley. After reading her tweet, he said:
“But wait a second, you may be wondering, how am I “personally responsible” for the behavior of a Minneapolis police officer? I’ve never even been to Minneapolis, you may think to yourself. And why is some politician telling me I’m required to be upset about it?
Those are all good questions. Nikki Haley did not answer those questions explaining. It is not her strong suit — that would require thinking.
What Nikki Haley does best is moral blackmail. During the 2016 campaign, she compared Donald Trump to the racist mass murderer, Dylann Roof. How is Donald Trump similar to a serial killer? Nikki Haley never explained that. She wasn’t trying to educate anyone.
Her only goal was political advantage. Nikki Haley is exceptionally good at getting what she wants. She is happy to denounce you as a racist in order to get it. She just did.”
