♪ ♪
>> Tucker: GOOD EVENING AND
WELCOME TO "TUCKER CARLSON
TONIGHT."
HAD THERE BEEN A SINGLE 24-HOUR
PERIOD MAXIS JOE BIDEN BECAME
THE PRESIDENT WHEN YOU HAVEN’T
BEEN HORRIFIED BY SOMETHING YOU
SAW THE NEWS?
PROBABLY NOT.
THE CASCADE OF ABSURDITIES BEEN
REALLY WAS.
TODAY WE ARE SAD TO SAY IT WAS
OFFICIALLY DEPRESSING.
INFLATION HIT ANOTHER RECORD
HIGH AND THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE
GOVERNMENT STATISTICS THAT OUR
LEADERS HAVE DEVISED TO HIDE
INFLATION.
IT TURNS OUT THERE’S NO HIDING
THE PRICE OF MEAT AND GAS.
THE VALUE OF THE DOLLAR HAS
DROPPED OFF A CLIFF EVEN AS THE
VALUE OF THE RUSSIAN RUBLE IS
RISING.
SO PART OF THAT FOR A MOMENT AND
CHUCKLED LITERALLY TO HERSELF.
AND THEN TO NEW YORK CITY THIS
MORNING, 16 PEOPLE WERE SHOT BY
A LUNATIC WEARING A HOODIE AND
YET SOMEHOW NONE OF THE MANY
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN THE
SUBWAY STATION HAPPENED TO BE
WORKING AT THE TIME SO THE GUY
GOT AWAY.
WE DO KNOW HE WAS NOT A
WHITE SUPREMACIST.
WE ARE BETTING THE MEDIA ARE NOT
GOING TO DWELL ON THIS.
THERE’S NOTHING TO GAIN FROM
COVERING THIS PARTICULAR
ATROCITY.
JUST ANOTHER MASS SHOOTING IN A
BIG CITY.
IT’S ALL SO SAD.
MAYHEM AND ECONOMIC DECLINE OR
NOT FOR ONCE WE ARE OPENING THE
SHOW WITH TONIGHT.
NO, WE HAVE GENERALLY GOOD NEWS.
HERE IT IS.
IT LOOKS POSSIBLE THAT ELON MUSK
WILL SEIZE CONTROL OF TWITTER
AND END ITS CENSORSHIP ON THAT
PLATFORM.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT THAT?
IT IS A TECH STORY.
WHO CARES ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA?
IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN WE COULD
SEE A RETURN OF FREE SPEECH TO
THE UNITED STATES AND NOTHING TO
GIVE YOU MORE HOPE THAN THAT
POSSIBILITY.
A FREE TWITTER WOULD MEAN AN
OPEN DEBATE ABOUT IDEAS ON THE
SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT INCUBATOR
OF OPINION IN THE WORLD.
IT WOULD MEAN A RETURN TO FREE
AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN THE
UNITED STATES, ASSISTING WITH
BOTH SIDES ARE ALLOWED TO MAKE
THEIR CASE TO THE PUBLIC AND THE
PUBLIC CAN DECIDE.
IT’S CALLED DEMOCRACY.
ABOVE ALL, A FREE TWITTER WOULD
MEAN A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO THE
PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF OUR
COUNTRY’S INSTITUTIONS MANY OF
WHOM ARE INCOMPETENT.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS
WE’LL BE ABLE TO TALK HONESTLY
ABOUT OUR LEADERS.
WE’LL BE ABLE TO HAVE THE KIND
OF CONVERSATIONS THAT MAKE
DEMOCRACY POSSIBLE.
WE CAN’T HAVE THOSE
CONVERSATIONS NOW, THERE’S A
REASON FOR IT.
THE POINT OF CENSORSHIP IS NEVER
TO SHIELD THE WEEK.
NO MATTER WHAT BARACK OBAMA ME
TELL YOU.
THE POINT OF CENSORSHIP ALWAYS
AND EVERYWHERE IS TO PROTECT
ENTRENCHED POWER.
THAT’S WHY IT’S THE POWERFUL WHO
IMPOSED CENSORSHIP FOR THEIR OWN
BENEFIT.
AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHY
ILLEGITIMATE REGIMES FIGHT SO
HARD TO CONTROL INFORMATION
THROUGH CENSORSHIP.
THAT’S THE MAIN CONCERN.
WHERE ARE THEY SO FOCUSED ON
THAT?
THAT’S WHY.
SOMEHOW THE RIGHT DOES NOT SEEM
TO UNDERSTAND THIS.
THE LEFT DEFINITELY UNDERSTANDS
IT.
WATCH THIS MSNBC ANCHOR APPEAR
TO REALIZING REAL-TIME WHAT IT
WOULD MEAN IF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S DONOR BASE
EVER LOST CONTROL OF AN
INFLECTIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA
PLATFORM.
>> THE BIGGER QUESTION ON
EVERYONE’S MIND, WILL MUSK’S
NEWFOUND TWITTER POWER MEAN
TRUMP WILL BE BACK ON THE
PLATFORM?
I’M THAT POSSIBLY NIGHTMARE
INDUCING NOTE, I WISH YOU A
GOOD NIGHT.
>> Tucker: IT WOULD BE A
NIGHTMARE!
SHE TELLS US THAT THE
DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT
WERE ALLOWED TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC.
IN SOME WAYS SHE’S RIGHT.
SHATTERING ITS MONOPOLY ON
SPEECH COULD BREAK THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
EVEN IN MSNBC ANCHOR UNDERSTANDS
THAT.
ARE THEY SO DETERMINED TO KEEP
YOU FROM TALKING BECAUSE
THEY KNOW YOU’RE TALKING IS THE
THREAT TO THEIR POWER.
ALLOWING THE FREE EXCHANGE OF
IDEAS IN AMERICA’S PUBLIC SQUARE
IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY
SINGLE ELECTION RESULT.
IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IT,
CONSIDER WHAT YOU HAVE JUST SEEN
OVER THE FAST TWO YEARS.
YOU CAN ELECT DONALD TRUMP IF
YOU WANT.
BUT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAN
SILENCE DONALD TRUMP AT WILL.
SO WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?
WHO IS MORE POWERFUL?
VOTERS OR THE SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPANIES THAT CONTROL WHEN
VOTERS NO?
IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE.
REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS PRETEND
NOT UNDERSTAND THIS.
MAYBE THEY REALLY ARE THAT
STUPID.
POSSIBLE.
IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE EITHER
WAY THEY WILL NEVER FIX IT.
EVER.
THEY’VE HAD A CHANCE.
EVEN JACK DORSEY WHO CREATED
TWITTER COULD NOT END CENSORSHIP
UNFETTERED.
I TOOK IN THE END, JACK DORSEY
FLED HIS OWN COMPANY WHEN HE
BECAME A FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER
THAT MADE AMERICA MORE
HIERARCHICAL RATHER THAN LESS.
A COMPANY THAT SERVED THE
POWERFUL AT THE EXPENSE OF
EVERYONE ELSE.
THAT WAS THE OPPOSITE OF THE
INTENDED EFFECT.
SO HE JUST LEFT.
HE HAD NO CHOICE.
ELON MUSK VIRTUALLY ALONE IN THE
ENTIRE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
APPEARS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
EXACTLY IS HAPPENING HERE.
HERE IS MUSK IN 2018 APPEARING
ON "60 MINUTES" ACKNOWLEDGING
THAT IN A WORLD OF CORPORATE
MEDIA, TWITTER CAN ACT AS AN
EQUALIZER.
WATCH.
>> YOU TWEET A LOT.
>> I USE MY TWEETS TO EXPRESS
MYSELF.
SOME PEOPLE USE THEIR HAIR.
I USE TWITTER.
>> YOU USE YOU ARE TWEETING TO
KIND OF GET BACK AT CRITICS.
>> RARELY.
>> YOU KIND OF HAVE LITTLE WARS
WITH THE PRESS.
>> TWITTER IS A WAR ZONE.
YOU’RE IN THE ARENA.
LET’S GO.
>> OKAY.
WHO DOES THAT SOUND LIKE?
>> I DON’T KNOW.
WHO DOES IT SOUND LIKE?
>> SOUNDS LIKE THE GUY WHO LIVES
AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> THAT GUY, SURE.
HE’S VERY GOOD AT TWITTER.
>> Tucker: TWITTER IS A
WAR ZONE.
THAT TAPE IS FROM THREE AND A
HALF YEARS AGO.
TWITTER IS NO LONGER A WAR ZONE.
THERE’S ONLY ONE ARMY ON THE
FIELD.
DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN BANNED
FROM TWITTER DESPITE THE FACT
THAT HE MAY RUN IN THE NEXT
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
HE’S AN ACTIVE POLITICIAN WITH
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD
SUPPORT HIM.
HE HAS BEEN BANNED.
CHARLIE KIRK HAD A HUGE
FOLLOWING ON TWITTER.
HE’S BEEN SUSPENDED.
THIS SHOW HAS BEEN SUSPENDED.
QUESTIONING THE PREVAILING
STORY LINE IS THE CRIME.
DO THAT AND YOU’RE GONE.
DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU ARE
FACTUALLY RIGHT.
WE WERE FACTUALLY RIGHT.
DOESN’T MATTER.
CHALLENGE POWER AND YOU ARE
CENSORED INSTANTLY.
NOW IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT
THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN IS THE
ONLY PERSON WHO COULD FIX THIS.
YOU’D LIKE TO THINK OUR
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM COULD FIX IT.
CLEARLY IT CAN’T.
SO ELON MUSK SEEMS TO BE OUR
LAST HOPE.
TONIGHT THERE ARE SIGNS THAT
ELON MUSK PLANS TO DO SOMETHING
BIG WITH TWITTER.
BUYING 9% OF THE COMPANY IS
CLEARLY MORE THAN INVESTMENT.
HE DOESN’T NEED THE MONEY.
LAST WEEK AFTER MUSK BECAME
TWITTER SINGLE BIGGEST
SHAREHOLDER, MANAGEMENT
ANNOUNCED THEY WOULD JOIN THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
FIRST MUSK WOULD BE BARRED FROM
OWNING MORE THAN 15% OF TWITTER
STOCK.
HE WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO
CONTROL THE COMPANY.
AS A BOARD MEMBER ELON MUSK
WOULD HAVE A FIDUCIARY DUTY TO
SHAREHOLDERS IN REAL TERMS THAT
MEANS HE COULD NOT REVEAL
TWITTER’S ALGORITHMS.
HE COULDN’T TELL THE PUBLIC WHAT
THEY ARE.
THOSE ALGORITHMS ARE USED TO
CENSOR AND SUPPRESS EFFECTIVE
CRITICS OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION VERY OFTEN
WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE.
IT’S DONE IN SECRET.
CAN’T FIGHT BACK.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING.
SO HE COULD NOT CHALLENGE THAT
IF HE TOOK A BOARD SEAT.
BUT THIS WEEKEND, MUSK ABRUPTLY
PULLED OUT OF THE DEAL.
THAT MEANS HE’S FREE TO BUY MORE
SHARES OF TWITTER.
IN FACT CONTROL IT.
ON SUNDAY NIGHT, TWITTER’S
PRO-CENSORSHIP CEO GREG TERRIBLE
TOLD TWITTER EMPLOYEES TO BRACE
FOR MUSK’S ATTEMPT AT A
HOSTILE TAKEOVER AND STRONGLY
IMPLIED THAT TWITTER WILL NOT
SUBMIT UNLESS FORCED.
"THERE’LL BE DISTRACTIONS I HAVE
BUT OUR GOALS AND PRIORITIES
REMAIN UNCHANGED."
YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF HOW
EXACTLY WOULD TWITTER WHICH IS A
PUBLIC COMPANY FIGHT OFF A
HOSTILE TAKEOVER FROM THE
RICHEST GUY IN THE WORLD?
ALREADY YOU CAN SEE THE STRATEGY
TO KEEP ELON MUSK AT BAY.
FIRST, TWITTER IS ENLISTING THE
HELP OF CORPORATE MEDIA.
CORPORATE MEDIA STANDS TO LOSE
AT LEAST AS MUCH AS THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY WILL LOSE IF
TWITTER IS LIBERATED.
COMPETITION IS TERRIBLE FOR THE
MEDIOCRE AND THE ILLEGITIMATE.
SO MSNBC UNDERSTANDS THIS
INTUITIVELY EVEN --
THEY WERE THE FIRST TO ANSWER
THE CALL.
WHAT DID THEY DO?
YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID.
THEY DID WHAT THEY ALWAYS DO.
THEY CALLED ELON MUSK A RACIST.
WATCH.
>> FEAR NOT, RIGHT-WINGERS.
ANOTHER FASCIST IS WAITING IN
THE WING TO >> Sean: BILE
ONLINE AND THAT’S COMING
UP NEXT.
>> HE IS BUILDING AT TESLA A
DOCUMENT ONLY RACIST COMPANY
THAT PERHAPS REMINDS HIM, GIVE
SOME NOSTALGIC MEMORIES OF THE
APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA WHERE HE
GREW UP.
HE IS MORE THAN THAT.
AN EMBODIMENT OF WHAT I WOULD
SAY IS TWITTER’S BIGGEST
STRATEGIC PROBLEM WHICH IS A
HOSTILE, CRUEL, DANGEROUS ONLINE
ENVIRONMENT ESPECIALLY FOR
WOMEN.
ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR,
WOMEN OF COLOR IN PARTICULAR.
>> Tucker: [LAUGHS]
WE COULD BORE YOU WITH A
REBUTTAL TO THE LUDICROUS
EXPLANATION YOU JUST HEARD BUT
IT’S NOT NECESSARY.
IF YOU HAVEN’T I.Q. ABOVE ROOM
TEMPERATURE, YOU LAUGH AT IT.
THE LOWEST BROW PROPAGANDA
POSSIBLE.
HE’S A RACIST.
TO IGNORE HIM.
THAT "THE WASHINGTON POST" THEY
SERVED UP SOMETHING SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT, LITTLE MORE STEALTHY.
THEY LISTED THE FORMER CEO OF
REDDIT, WHO COULDN’T MANAGE TO
ACTUALLY RUN REDDIT, TO RUN AN
OP-ED "ELON MUSK’S VISION OF
FREE SPEECH WILL BE BAD FOR
TWITTER."
[LAUGHS]
AND THEN THE PIECE CONTAINED
THIS LINE.
HIS CLIENT DOESN’T DO MUCH TO
REVEAL A LACK OF SELF-AWARENESS
AS IT DOES COMMIT MURDER
AGAINST THE ENTIRE CONCEPT OF
TRYING TO SUPPORT.
"MUSK’S APARTMENT AT TWITTER’S
BOARD SHOWS THAT WE NEED
REGULATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA
PLATFORMS TO PREVENT RICH PEOPLE
FROM CONTROLLING OUR CHANNELS OF
COMMUNICATION."
ONCE AGAIN, THIS RAN IN
"THE WASHINGTON POST," A PAPER
THAT APPARENTLY UNBEKNOWNST TO
THE EDITORS WHO WORK THERE IS
OWNED BY BILLIONAIRE OLIGARCH
JEFF BEZOS, CHINA’S BIGGEST
RETAILER, AND USED AS HIS
PERSONAL PLATFORM TO LOBBY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND SETTLE
SCORES.
>> SO JEFF BEZOS CAN OWN THE ONL
NEWSGATHERING OPERATION AND YOUR
NATION’S CAPITAL AND USE IT FOR
BUSINESS AND IDEOLOGICAL ENDS
BUT THE IDEA OF LETTING AVERAGE
PEOPLE SAY WHAT THEY WANT ON
TWITTER IS A THREAT TO
DEMOCRACY.
[LAUGHS]
IF YOU THINK THAT’S HILARIOUS,
YOU SHOULD READ THE PIECE IN
THE GUARDIAN.
IT WAS WRITTEN BY FORMER LABOR
SECRETARY ROBERT REISCH, A
STALINIST.
"ELON MUSK’S VISION FOR THE
INTERNET IS DANGEROUS NONSENSE."
"MUSK HAS LONG ADVOCATED FOR A
LIBERTARIAN VISION UNCONTROLLED
INTERNET.
THAT’S ALSO THE DREAM OF EVERY
DICTATOR, STRONGMAN AND
DEMAGOGUE."
[LAUGHS]
RIGHT.
SO WHAT DICTATORS, STRONGMAN AND
DEMO BECAUSE ONE IS CONTROL OVER
THE PEOPLE TO SAY WHATEVER THEY
WANT AND CHALLENGE THEIR POWER.
THAT’S THE WAY DICTATORS WORK,
ISN’T RIGHT, ROBERT REISCH.
HE’S A LIFELONG LEFTIST.
YOU CAN IMAGINE THE ROBERT
RATION OF 1970 WHEN HE WAS A
COLLEGE APPLICANT WOULD BE A
LITTLE BIT SURPRISED TO SEE THE
ROBERT RATION OF NEARLY 80
CALLING FOR A TOTAL CRACKDOWN ON
THE OPINIONS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE.
PEOPLE GET POWER AND THEY
CHANGE.
THAT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE AS
AN ARGUMENT YOU CAN SEE WHY THEY
STICK TO CALLED ELON MUSK A
RACIST ON CABLE NEWS.
STICK TO THE SAME OLD SCRIPT AND
THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE DOING AT
CNN OF COURSE.
WATCH.
>> I THINK IN SOME WAYS IT’S A
GOOD THING THAT ELON MUSK IS
TWEETING, LIVENING UP TWITTER
AND MAKING IT MORE ENTERTAINING.
HE IS A FUNNY GUY.
BUT THERE ARE SERIOUS QUESTIONS
BEHIND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
AS HE PUSHED FOR A FULL
ACQUISITION?
WE DON’T KNOW.
>> SOME OF THE MEMES HE POSTS ON
TWITTER, ANTI-TRANS MEMES,
ANTI-COVID VACCINE MEANS.
THERE’S A REASON TO BE
SPECTACLE.
>> Tucker: [LAUGHS]
HE ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
MANDATORY COVID VACCINE.
CRUSH HIM!
NO ONE IS WON OVER BY THIS.
IT’S ABSURD.
CLEARLY THAT PROPAGANDA STRATEGY
WILL NOT WIN OPEN MINDS TO
DECIDE ITS CENSORSHIP.
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN OPEN
MINDS TO THE SIDE OF CENSORSHIP
BECAUSE THE IDEAS REPUGNANT TO
ANY FREE SPIRIT.
THERE IS OTHER TOOLS THAT
TWITTER IS GOING TO HAVE TO USE
TO STOP A HOSTILE TAKEOVER ON
BEHALF OF FREE SPEECH.
FOR EXAMPLE IT’S VIRTUALLY
CERTAIN TWITTERS ON THE PHONE
WITH CORPORATE LAWYERS IN
NEW YORK FINDING WAYS TO USE
WHAT’S KNOWN AS A POISON PILL
STRATEGY TO MINIMIZE ELON MUSK’S
OWNERSHIP STAKE AS MUCH AS IT
POSSIBLY CAN.
ONE OPTION AND THIS WOULD BE
REALLY INTERESTING IS TO GIVE
TWITTER SHAREHOLDERS THE ABILITY
TO BUY MANY MORE SHARES AT
DISCOUNT TO DILUTE MUSK’S
CONTROL OVER THE COMPANY BUT
THAT STRATEGY IS NOT GUARANTEED
TO WORK.
C-14 HAS A TON OF OPTIONS ASIDE
FROM BUYING ALL THE SHARES HE WA
ELON MUSK COULD ENLIST THE
PUBLIC, THE PRO-FREE-SPEECH
PUBLIC IN HIS HOSTILE TAKEOVER
OF TWITTER SO ANYONE WHO IS
AGAINST CENSORSHIP COULD BUY
TWITTER STOCK AND THEN PLEDGE
HIS OR HER PROXY VOTES TO
ELON MUSK AND THAT WOULD GIVE
HIM CONTROL OF THE COMPANY AND
THE COMPANY WOULD BE FREE AND
THAT WOULD ALSO BE THE SINGLE
MOST REVOLUTIONARY EVENT EVER TO