Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson on Tuesday expressed his admiration for Moscow, calling it “more beautiful” than any other U.S. city, after an exclusive interview with the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
What happened: Carlson, during an interview at the World Government Summit, shared his thoughts on his recent visit to Moscow. He praised the city’s cleanliness, aesthetics, food and service, deeming it superior to any city in the United States, The Hill reported.
“And the most radicalizing thing for me in the eight days I spent in Moscow was not just the leader of the country,” Carlson said.
“What was very shocking, very disturbing was the city of Moscow, where I had never been… it was much more beautiful than any other city in my country,” he said, calling Moscow “much cleaner and more aesthetically more beautiful – its architecture, its food, its service – than any city in the United States.”
See also: Trump vs. Biden: National poll shows slight lead for candidate in tight race
Carlson criticized the U.S. government for high crime rates, runaway inflation, and general government failure, drawing parallels to the decline seen in European cities such as London and Paris. He, however, denied being anti-American stating, “No, I’m the most pro-American.”
Because matter: The interview with Carlson was Putin’s first with a US journalist since the invasion of Ukraine. The interview has sparked controversy, with some suggesting that Carlson was manipulated by Putin. The former Fox News host’s interview was seen by many as a missed opportunity to challenge Putin on key issues.
Former FBI Deputy Director for Counterintelligence, Franco Figliuzzihe argued that Putin used the interview to his advantage and Carlson played right into his hands.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he also criticized Carlson, calling him a “useful idiot” for Putin. He disputed Carlson’s claim that no Western journalist had made an effort to interview Putin, a claim that was also disputed by the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.
Meanwhile, Russian dissident and former chess champion Garry Kasparov challenged Carlson to a face-to-face debate over his handling of the Putin interview, criticizing him for appearing “unable or unwilling to expose Putin’s lies.”
Read next: ‘The news is not good’ for Trump as plurality of Americans want his name off state ballots: Pollster says some favor rejecting former president through election
Photo by LEMORMILE on Shutterstock
This content was partially produced with help from Benzinga Neuro and has been reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.