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Did Josh Hammer call for Tucker Carlson to be ‘neutralized’? Fresh twist in Nick Fuentes interview row
Josh Hammer, an American conservative political commentator, wrote an op-ed for the Daily Mail where he blasted Tucker Carlson's interview of Nick Fuentes.
The row over former Fox News personality, Tucker Carlson, interviewing far-right activist Nick Fuentes, seems to have taken a fresh turn. American conservative political commentator, Josh Hammer, wrote an opinion piece for Daily Mail, but the op-ed has come under fire, with many accusing him of calling for Carlson to be ‘neutralized’.
Hammer's comments take on greater significance given the recent slaying of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder, who was shot and killed when attending an event at the Utah Valley University on September 10.
Also Read | Dinesh D'Souza shares texts from Charlie Kirk ripping him for debating ‘vermin’ Nick Fuentes, ‘The damage you did…’
Carlson, meanwhile, has been facing a lot of flak from those who believe that providing Fuentes a platform will make the far-right activist mainstream. Hammer, in the op-ed, wrote “The fox is now comfortably ensconced in the hen house. And unless the fox is neutralized, the victim could be the entire extant GOP coalition itself.” This has led many to believe that Hammer is calling for Carlson to be ‘neutralized’.
Reactions to Josh Hammer's op-ed
Hammer's op-ed drew some fiery reactions. Among them was firebrand Republican lawmaker, Marjorie Taylor Greene.
She shared a snapshot of Hammer's relevant portion on X, and wrote: “The First Amendment that protects Americans free speech is the first because speech itself, mere words, are the most powerful. We must NEVER allow our freedom of speech to be violated, slip away, or be ripped away from us.”
MTG added, “To cancel others speech and to demand they are canceled is the most Un-American thing possible, no matter how much you disagree with someone else. But for an American, Josh Hammer, to publish a hate screed about Tucker Carlson, also an American, demanding Tucker be neutralized or murdered, in a UK publication, which ironically is a country that is currently arresting people for their speech, is so disturbing on so many levels.”
She continued, “First, why would the Daily Mail approve of Josh Hammer calling for Tucker Carlson to be murdered, which he clearly did by referencing Tucker as a “fox in the henhouse” and saying he must be neutralized, which means killed in order to protect “the victim”? The Daily Mail has now broadcasted worldwide Josh Hammer’s call for Tucker Carlson’s assassination. That’s a serious problem for Josh Hammer but now also the Daily Mail.”
“And secondly, this newly forming sect on the right that demands others be cancelled are violating our precious first amendment, seeking to destroy certain people’s right to free speech, and clearly don’t value freedom the way we do,” she also added.
Then, MTG said, “If they don’t like someone words can they not just muster up their own? In fact Josh Hammer just did and everyone knows exactly what he is saying. I stand with Tucker Carlson.”
“And I will always fight to defend free speech, but not death threats or assassination whistles,” she concluded.
“Hey @josh_hammer @DailyMail what the hell do you mean when you write that @TuckerCarlson must be 'neutralized?',” comedian Dave Smith wrote on X, adding, “Seems like a pretty reckless thing to say in the wake of the biggest political assassination of our lifetime (which is the topic of the piece).”
He continued “Also, who the f**k is Josh to decide who ought to be neutralized? Josh has not been elected to anything and has zero popular support. Millions of people LOVE Tucker. Josh is known for being friends with Charlie and getting smoked in a debate with me twice. That’s it.”
Yet another person, sharing lines from Hammer's piece, wrote “Josh Hammer calls for Tucker Carlson to be neutralized.” However, it is important to note that Hammer didn't directly call for Carlson to be ‘neutralized’, rather using a fox-in-a-henhouse analogy. Further, Grok has noted that Hammer is calling for more of an ‘ideological pushback’ than ‘literal harm’.
"Hammer critiques Tucker Carlson for hosting Nick Fuentes, arguing it fractures the conservative coalition by amplifying anti-Semitic fringes. He follows with: "The fox is now comfortably ensconced in the hen house. And unless the fox is neutralized, the victim could be the entire extant GOP coalition itself." The "fox" directly symbolizes Carlson's unchecked influence, calling for ideological pushback rather than literal harm," Grok said.
Hammer himself reacted to the buzz and wrote on X, “One has to be truly stupid or willfully disingenuous (or both, as the case may be) to think that “neutralized” here means anything other than its most common usages.” He shared a photo of the Google definition of the word.
Hammer concluded his message asking people to ‘quit lying’.
