It’s fair to say today that Boris Johnson and Tucker Carlson don’t like each other much. After the invasion of Ukraine, Boris, the former journalist and British prime minister, accused Carlson, the journalist often tipped to be a future president of the United States, of “intimidating” Republicans who might otherwise help the West stand up to Russia. He’s called Carlson a “tool of the Kremlin.” Carlson, for his part, has called Johnson a “terrified old woman.”
Things just got nastier, too. Earlier this month, Boris suggested Carlson’s now infamous interview with Vladimir Putin was straight out of the “Hitler playbook.”
Carlson, never one to shrink from confrontation, reached out to Boris to propose a debate between them, mano a mano, at Oxford University or somewhere similar, but struggled to get anywhere. After some effort, however, he was able to get in touch with a Johnson advisor.
Johnson was keen but he had conditions. He wanted to be paid $1 million. He wanted the interview streamed on X. And he wanted Carlson to acknowledge that, after his interview with Russia’s leader, a showdown with a former British prime minister would help rebuild his reputation.
Carlson laughed off the last suggestion but told Johnson he would be willing to pay “$1 million in currency, gold or Bitcoin.”
Upon hearing that, Team Johnson duly kicked into gear and approached Carlson to arrange a meeting and — most importantly — the payment.
But Carlson yesterday decided to go public, denouncing Johnson for his avarice in an interview on Blaze TV.
Johnson’s office said they initially accepted the interview providing the money went solely to Ukrainian veteran charities. Steven Swinford, a British journalist with impeccable Johnsonian connections, tweeted this morning that Johnson “pulled out” the debate after the death of Alexei Navalny. But Carlson told Cockburn: “He didn’t ‘pull out.’ They told me to meet them in central London yesterday to continue the negotiations.”
“These people are sleazier than any Eastern Europeans I’ve dealt with,” says Carlson. He confirms that Johnson’s handlers did mention a “rebuild Ukraine fund,” but adds it was “transparent bullshit. I asked which fund [Johnson’s advisor] meant and he said they hadn’t figured that out yet.”
“I’d still like to interview Boris by the way.” Cockburn can’t help wishing the showdown would happen. Might Elon Musk, Carlson’s new patron at X, cough up the cash?
