Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Friday that he’s “pissed” that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have continued to support his baseless claim that the election was rigged in favor of Hillary Clinton.
“You can be proud of your president, but you can’t be proud with your vice president supporting that lie,” Carlson told a crowd of reporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
“I’m not going to be surprised if you find out that the people that voted for the president are the ones that supported his false claim that his victory was illegitimate.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t stand up sooner, Tucker, but it’s a problem.
And I’m sorry for the people who were hurt,” he added.”
We should not be in this position where we’re supporting lies, where we are supporting the president and his administration and his agenda,” Carlson said, adding that his show “will no longer air” during the White House’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Trump and Pence both pushed back on Carlson’s claims during Thursday’s press conference, saying Carlson’s comments were “not what we need” at a time of national crisis.
Trump tweeted Thursday that the “election was rigged against us.”
“We’re going to go back to our jobs, we’re going back to bringing back our jobs and we’re gonna win the election,” Trump said, repeating his claim that “millions” of Americans voted illegally.
“I just want to tell you, that’s all a hoax,” he said.
“The election was not rigged.
It’s a lie.”
Trump said he didn’t know Carlson would “fear retribution” for his criticism of the president.
“He’s got to learn that the country’s got real problems,” Trump added.