Rutger Bregman, the author of Utopia for Realists and historian known for confronting a Davos audience about tax avoidance, has ruffled some more feathers to viral acclaim.
During a pre-recorded interview on the influential Tucker Carlson Tonight Fox News show, he called out the presenter for his wealth:
“You are a millionaire funded by billionaires, that’s what you are,” Bregman said, when Carlson tried to “jump on the bandwagon” of his Davos intervention. “You’re not part of the solution, Mr Carlson, you’re part of the problem, actually.”
When Carlson protested, Bregman continued: “It’s true right that all the anchors on Fox, they’re all millionaires. How is this possible? Well it’s very easy, you’re just not talking about certain things.”
As the historian continued to put forward his argument, Carlson is heard exclaiming, “Moron!” and, “You would have to be a moron!” in the background, before exploding: “It doesn’t even – Fox doesn’t even play where you are.”
“Well, have you heard of the internet? I can watch things whenever I want.”
“You’ve never seen Fox before.”
“I have actually,” Bregman replied, grinning. “I can’t say I’m a big fan of your show, but I do my homework when you invite me on your show… You’re a millionaire funded by billionaires and that’s the reason why you’re not talking about these issues.”
This was the moment Carlson really let loose.
“I wanna say to you, why don’t you go fuck yourself, you tiny-brained, and I hope this gets picked up, because you’re a moron. I tried to give you a hearing but you were too fucking annoying.”
“You can’t handle the criticism, can you?” was Bregman’s perfect reply.
Fox News decided not to air the interview, but luckily Bregman had a recording from the green room, which he released. Watch it here:
Fox News is refusing to air this segment where Tucker Carlson loses his temper after guest @rcbregman tells Carlson he’s ‘a millionaire funded by billionaires’ during a blunt conversation about economic inequality. NowThis obtained the full interview. pic.twitter.com/VcSDrrUbKF
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 20, 2019