Outgoing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., publicly defended her longtime friend Tucker Carlson on Saturday, stepping into a growing conservative backlash after the former cable news host said he does not know any Americans who have been harmed by “radical Islam” over the past 24 years.
Greene took to her personal X account early Saturday morning to push back against critics she described as “America Last” voices who were attacking Carlson online. Her message made clear she was standing firmly by him as the controversy spread across social media.
“I’m making it clear that I’m proudly friends with Tucker Carlson,” Greene wrote. She praised Carlson as “a man of sincere faith” who loves his family and the country, framing the criticism as part of a broader ideological divide. Greene added, “America First is winning,” before closing her post with, “Thank you for your attention to this matter,” a phrase echoing a familiar sign-off once used by Donald Trump.
Greene also shared a photo of herself smiling alongside Carlson, underscoring their personal relationship and signaling that she had no intention of distancing herself from him despite the backlash.
Her defense followed comments Carlson made the day before, when he claimed he did not know “anyone in the United States in the last 24 years who’s been killed by radical Islam.” Carlson argued that other problems posed far more immediate threats to Americans and said those realities should be measured more honestly.
“I believe in measuring reality a little more empirically,” Carlson said. He pointed to suicides, drug overdoses, unemployment, and what he described as cultural decay as issues he sees firsthand. Carlson said he knows people who have taken their own lives, others who died from drug overdoses, and young men who cannot find work. He claimed that boys in his daughter’s class are being harmed by prescription drugs, video games, and pornography, arguing those forces are doing more damage to American society than radical Islam.
Carlson’s remarks quickly drew criticism online, with many users pointing out that there have been multiple deadly attacks in the United States linked to Islamist extremism during the time frame he referenced. Among the examples cited was the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, in which 13 people were killed. Critics also pointed to the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, where 49 people were murdered, as well as an attack earlier this year in New Orleans that left 14 people dead after they were run over.
More recently, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said an Afghan national who shot two National Guard troops last month had been “radicalized” after being brought to the United States, further fueling criticism of Carlson’s claim.
Some critics also noted that Carlson’s 24-year timeline narrowly excludes the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Had the window been extended by just a few months, it would have included 9/11, when approximately 3,000 people were murdered in coordinated Islamist terror attacks.
Despite the pushback, Greene’s intervention signaled that Carlson still has strong allies within the America First wing of the Republican Party. Her defense framed the controversy not as a factual dispute alone, but as part of a broader ideological fight over national priorities, culture, and what threats conservatives believe deserve the most attention.
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