>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO
"TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT."
YESTERDAY AS YOU KNOW AN
AMERICAN AIR STRIKE KILLED A
GENERAL CALLED QASSEM SOLEIMANI.
FOR THE PAST 11 YEARS SOLEIMANI
OPERATED --
IN THAT ROLE, SOLEIMANI WAS
BELIEVED TO BE A PATRON OF THE
SHIA MILITIA THAT ATTACKED U.S.
TROOPS DURING THE IRAQ WAR HE
APPEARED HE WAS ALSO A MAJOR
PLAYER IN SYRIA DURING THEIR
CIVIL WAR AS WELL AS IN THE
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ISIS.
HE WAS LITTLE KNOWN TO THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC, SOLEIMANI WAS
AMONG THE MOST FAMOUS LIVING
FIGURES IN IRAN AND ALSO ONE OF
THE MOST POWERFUL.
SECOND ONLY TO THE SUPREME
LEADER.
THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT IS
ALREADY VOWED TO EXTRACT
FORCEFUL REVENGE AGAINST THE
U.S. AND IN RESPONSE TO HIS
DEATH.
WHETHER THAT WAS FORMED IS
REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
BY THE NEXT TIME THE SHOW AIRS,
WE COULD BE ENGAGED IN A
CONFLICT, A REAL CONFLICT WITH
IRAN.
FROM IRAN'S PERSPECTIVE WE ARE
ALREADY THERE.
IF THE IRANIAN FORCES KILLED THE
CHAIRMAN OF OUR JOINT CHIEFS OF
STAFF, WOULD YOU CONSIDER AN ACT
OF WAR?
WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY WASN'T
JUST ANOTHER SYMBOLIC BOMBING OF
THE KIND WE'VE SEEN IN SYRIA, IT
WAS A PIVOT POINT.
WASHINGTON UNDERSTOOD THAT
IMMEDIATELY.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL INVOLVED
IN ELIMINATING QASSEM SOLEIMANI
TWEETED GRIST DISGRACED JOHN
BOLTON.
HOPE THIS IS THE FIRST STEP TO
REGIME CHANGE IN TEHRAN.
THAT OF COURSE HAS BEEN THE
NEOCONSERVATIVE OBJECTIVE ALL
ALONG.
THE PRESIDENT HAS FOR YEARS
OPPOSED THAT OBJECTIVE IN THE
STATEMENT SAID THAT REGIME
CHANGE IN WAR ARE THE POINT AT
ALL.
>> WE TOOK ACTION LAST NIGHT TO
STOP A WAR.
WE DID NOT TAKE ACTION TO START
A WAR.
WE DO NOT SEEK REGIME CHANGE,
HOWEVER THE IRANIAN REGIME'S
AGGRESSION IN THE REGION
INCLUDING THE USE OF PROXY
FIGHTERS TO DESTABILIZE ITS
ENABLERS MUST END AND IT MUST
END NOW.
IF AMERICANS ANYWHERE ARE
THREATENED, WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE
TARGETS ALREADY FULLY IDENTIFIED
IN THE I AM READY AND PREPARED
TO TAKE WHATEVER ACTION IS
NECESSARY.
>> Tucker: ACCORDING TO
SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO,
SOLEIMANI WAS KILLED FOR LEADING
ATTACKS ON AMERICA.
THOSE ATTACKS WOULD'VE HAPPENED
IN THE MIDDLE EAST, NOT ON
AMERICA.
>> THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO
REMOVE QASSEM SOLEIMANI FROM THE
BATTLEFIELD SAVED AMERICAN
LIVES.
THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
HE WAS ACTIVELY PLOTTING THE
REGION TO TAKE ACTION, BIG
ACTIONS AS HE DESCRIBED IT, THEY
WOULD UP AT DOZENS IF NOT
HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN LIVES AT
RISK.
LAST NIGHT WITH THE TIME WE NEED
TO DISTRACT AND MAKE SURE THIS
IMMINENT ATTACK THAT HE WAS
WORKING ACTIVELY, WAS DISRUPTED.
>> IS THERE ANY IMMINENT THREAT
TO THE U.S. HOMELAND?
SPEAK OF THESE WERE THREATS THAT
WERE LOCATED IN THE REGION.
>> Tucker: THREATS IN THE
REGION.
IF YOU DON'T LIVE IN WASHINGTON
COME HERE IS THE TRANSLATION
THAT WOULD BE IN HOSTILE
MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES.
PLACES WHERE AMERICAN TROOPS
WOULD NEVER BE IN THE FIRST
PLACE IF NOT FOR THE INSISTENT
DEMANDS OF JOHN BOLTON.
NO ONE IN WASHINGTON IS IN THE
MOOD FOR BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS
RIGHT NOW.
QUESTIONS LIKE THE OBVIOUS ONE
LIKE IRAN IS THE GREATEST FRAUD
THREAT WE FACE OR WHO IS
BENEFITING FROM THIS AND WHY ARE
WE CONTINUING TO THE IGNORE THE
DECLINE OF OUR OWN COUNTRY?
BY THE WAY, IF WERE STILL IN
AFGHANISTAN 19 YEARS LATER WHAT
MAKES US THINK IS A QUICK WAY
OUT OF IRAN?
NOBODY IS THINKING LIKE THAT
RIGHT NOW.
INSTEAD, CHEST BEATERS LIKE
SENATOR BEN TAFF OF NEBRASKA ARE
MAKING THE USUAL WARLIKE NOISES
LIKE THEY USUALLY MAKE.
THIS IS VERY SIMPLE, HE WROTE IN
A STATEMENT LAST NIGHT, GENERAL
SOLO MONEY IS DEAD BECAUSE HE
WAS AN EVIL BASARD
WHO KILLED AMERICANS.
DOES THAT MAKE KILLING HIM
SIMPLE?
IT IS NOT.
NOTHING ABOUT LIFE AND CERTAINLY
NOT KILLING IT'S EVER VERY
SIMPLE AND ANY POLITICIAN WHO IS
OTHERWISE IS DUMB OR IS LYING.
YES, SOLEIMANI WAS LINKED TO THE
DEPTHS OF AMERICANS COME IN THE
NOBODY MOURNS HIS PASSING.
BUT MEXICO AND CHINA ARE ALSO
LINKED TO AMERICANS DYING.
NOT THAT ANYONE IN POWER CARES.
DOES THAT MEAN WE GET THE BOMB
THEM?
CAN WE START ASSASSINATING
GENERALS AND THE PEOPLE'S
LIBERATION ARMY?
MAYBE.
MAYBE HE WILL CALL FOR THAT TOO.
IS A VERY TOUGH CHARACTER.
BEFORE WE ENTER A SINGLE AND THE
WAR, THERE'S A CRITERIA THAT
OUGHT TO BE MET.
OUR LEADERS SHOULD EXPLAIN TO US
HOW THAT CONFLICT WILL MAKE THE
UNITED STATES RICHER AND MORE
SECURE.
THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF BAD
PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD, WE CAN'T
KILL THEM ALL.
IT'S NOT OUR JOB.
INSTEAD, OUR GOVERNMENT EXISTS
TO DEFEND AND PROMOTE THE
INTEREST OF AMERICAN CITIZENS.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A GOVERNMENT.
HAS THE KILLING OF SOLEIMANI
DONE THAT?
YOU MAY BE.
NOBODY IN WASHINGTON IT'S
EXPLAINED HOW.
INSTEAD THEY ARE TELLING US WHAT
AN AWFUL PERSON HE WAS.
HE CLEARLY WAS.
THAT'S IRRELEVANT IT'S PRETTY
CLEAR THAT THINGS WILL START TO
MOVE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
PRETTY QUICKLY.
WERE PRAYING THEY DON'T, BUT
THEY COULD.
WE SAW QUITE A NUMBER OF WARS IN
THE MIDDLE EAST ACROSS THE
DECADES.
WE'VE MADE IT IN AN OCCUPIED
AFGHANISTAN.
WE TOPPLED MUAMMAR QADDAFI IN
LIBYA.
WE FOUGHT ISIS IN SYRIA AND
STUCK AROUND.
WE ARE STILL THERE.
WE ARE SPECIAL FORCES HAVE BEEN
FIGHTING IN YEMEN, PAKISTAN, WHO
KNOWS WHERE ELSE.
IN EVERY SINGLE PLACE, EACH OF
THESE CONFLICTS HAS TURNED OUT
TO BE LONGER AND BLOODIER AND
MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WE WERE
PROMISED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
OFTEN THE BENEFITS HAVE BEEN
NONE EXISTED.
A LOT OF LECTURES ABOUT HOW THE
PEOPLE WE ARE KILLING DESERVE TO
DIE.
I HOPE THAT MAKES YOU FEEL
BETTER.
WE DO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THINK
ABOUT ALL OF THIS?
JUST FIVE MONTHS AGO, AFTER
MONTHS OF SUPPOSEDLY IRANIAN
PROVOCATION, AMERICANS DIDN'T
SEEM TO VIEW IRAN AS A MAJOR
CONCERN.
NOT EVEN CLOSE.
IN A GALLOP POLL TAKEN LAST
AUGUST, JUST 18% OF AMERICANS
SAY THEY BACKED MILITARY FORCE
TO SHUT DOWN IRAN'S NUCLEAR
PROGRAM.
70% THEY PREFER DIPLOMACY AND
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ALONE.
SO IN A DEMOCRACY YOU WOULD
THINK THIS WOULD MATTER.
A BODY, AS IS SO OFTEN THE CASE,
THE PREFERENCES OF ACTUAL
AMERICANS DON'T ENTER THE
EQUATION AT ALL.
THEY ARE IMMATERIAL.
IN 2016 DONALD TRUMP RAN ON A
PROMISE OF FEWER FOREIGN
ADVENTURES.
HE VOWED INSTEAD TO FOCUS ON OUR
PROBLEMS HERE AT HOME, WHICH ARE
GROWING.
AGAINST THE ODDS COME HE WON
THAT ELECTION, PROBABLY BECAUSE
OF THAT PROMISE.
BUT EVER SINCE, WASHINGTON,
INCLUDING SOME ARE ON THE
PRESIDENT, HAVE BEEN COMMITTED
TO IGNORING THE RESULT OF THAT
ELECTION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS.