Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, a journalist turned MAGA advocate, has turned away from one of the far right’s wildest conspiracy theories. After recent hurricanes wreaked havoc on the Southeastern U.S., especially devastating parts of Georgia and North Carolina, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) suggested that Democrats controlled the weather, implying that the destruction was wrought for political gain.
[Greene: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”]
This week on MAGA impresario Steve Bannon‘s podcast, Carlson revealed he has a far different idea about the origin of the hurricanes, suggesting the storms were retribution from a higher power, sent because women had abortions.
Carlson expressed a biblical notion that a vengeful God was punishing humans for allowing “human sacrifice” — as Carlson characterizes abortion — and acknowledged that his idea was far enough outside mainstream belief that he predicted he’d be “attacked for saying this.”
Tucker Carlson: “People are like, ‘oh, well, we had another hurricane, it must be global warming.’ No! It’s probably abortion, actually. Just being honest. You can’t kill children on purpose. You can’t participate in human sacrifice without consequences.” pic.twitter.com/k8LBaQYX17
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 4, 2024
Carlson told Bannon:
“People, and I have to say, and I’m sure I’ll be attacked for saying this, but I really believe it. People are like, oh, well, we had another hurricane, must be global warming. No, it’s probably abortion, actually. Just being honest.
“Like, you can’t do that. You can’t kill children on purpose knowing that you’re doing that in exchange for power or freedom or happiness, whatever you think you’re getting in return. You can’t participate in human sacrifice without consequences.”
Carlson doesn’t flesh out his theory to explain why a vengeful God would aim His storms primarily at the conservative counties of North Carolina and Georgia, most of which voted for Donald Trump in the last election.
Carlson’s equation to calculate the destruction simply replaces “global warming” with “abortion” — and presumes an angry reaction by divine providence — in explaining why the hurricanes had such ferocity.