Tucker Carlson has taken aim at a very surprising target: The Rev. Franklin Graham.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Tucker Carlson rebuked Graham on antisemitism.
Carlson, who admitted he previously used overly harsh language about “Christian Zionists,” clarified that his deeper concern lies not with individuals themselves.
“I don’t hate Christian Zionists,” Carlson said. “I’m deeply frustrated with some evangelical leaders who are not preaching Christianity, but some sick, weird, culty version of it that puts Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Jesus. And that’s not Christianity.”
According to Carlson, President Donald Trump informed him that Graham had sent a letter labeling Carlson an “anti-Semite” and advising Trump not to engage with him.
“I leave the meeting and I immediately call Franklin Graham. Like, what? Why would you call me [an] anti-Semite? And why didn’t you call me first?” Carlson said. “If you think I’m an anti-Semite, wouldn’t you want to persuade me not to be? Because that’s a pretty ugly thing to be. And as a Christian, as a fellow Christian, you want to talk.”
Carlson said Graham communicated with him via a personal assistant, but that Graham was unable to take his call.
“He wouldn’t take my call… I went back and forth texting with his assistant all day,” Carlson said. “That behavior is so un-Christian and so low, so sneaky, so dishonest that it offends me as a Christian to see it conducted in the name of Jesus.”
Carlson then said that he does not see himself as a good Christian.
“I don’t think I have a monopoly on the truth. I don’t think I’m a very good Christian—I’m not,” he said. “But I don’t think that’s Christianity.”
According to The Christian Post, a spokesperson for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) shared that Graham never called Carlson an anti-Semite.
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“Franklin Graham wrote President Donald Trump a brief private letter regarding the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and the great job he is doing,” BGEA told the Post. “After Tucker Carlson’s recent combative interview with Ambassador Huckabee, Mr. Graham simply commented that Tucker Carlson’s views about Israel were troubling because they ‘could be interpreted as anti-Semitic.'”
The BGEA Association also shared that “Mr. Graham did not tell the president not to talk to Tucker Carlson again,” and that, “those claims are completely false.”
The organization also noted that Graham was unavailable as he was out of town when Carlson contacted them.
“Franklin Graham has been a pilot for more than 55 years and was in required annual recurrent flight training. We offered a date and time when Mr. Graham could call him back, but ultimately, Tucker texted our staff and said Mr. Graham didn’t need to call him.”
To watch Tucker Carlson’s statements with Piers Morgan, click here.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
