Tucker Carlson Lashes Out at Jill Biden's 'Cult of Personality' Vogue Cover
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has railed against first lady Jill Biden's Vogue cover story in a Thursday segment of his show, likening it to state media propaganda and authoritarian cult of personality.
Carlson has previously come under fire for disparaging remarks against the first lady on his show Tucker Carlson Tonight, having elicited controversy for panning Biden's academic background and mocking her "Dr." honorific.
After Jill Biden was announced as Vogue's August cover star—reviving the magazine's tradition of featuring first ladies on its cover after her predecessor Melania Trump was famously snubbed—Carlson took issue with that as well.
"When it comes to authentic state media cult of personality hero worship, the propagandist North Korea's communist party news agency look on in awe at the reporters of Vogue magazine in New York," Carlson said. "The Vogue guys do Stalinism the old fashioned way—they are all in. They barely use verbs. It's all smoldering hot superlatives."
"Consider the new Vogue profile of Dr. Jill Biden, the scholar, scientist, statesperson, civil rights icon, healer, mother of a nation, eternally the first lady of our hearts," he continued, with an apparent tone of sarcasm.
Carlson spoke of an imagined scenario that is not in the Vogue profile: "At one point, we find Dr. Jill in reading glasses on Air Force One preparing for her negotiations with other world leaders at the G7. You go, Dr. Jill, you don't need to be elected to lead our country!"
The host also doubled down on his derision of Biden's "Dr." title, which she has earned with her doctorate in education from the University of Delaware. Debates surrounding Biden's use of the honorific without being a medical doctor have been criticized as misogynistic belittlement of her academic credentials.
"Back in the United States, Dr. Jill barely pauses to slip into yet another glamorous outfit before heading off to administer life-saving vaccines to any American who wants one, and even some who don't," Carlson said. "Dr. Jill is a doctor, first and foremost."
Carlson—who has promoted anti-vaccine rhetoric on his show—went on to criticize a section of the profile mentioning a visit to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Biden reportedly comforted and held the hands of nervous women who were getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
"In one scene from the Vogue piece, Dr. Jill cradles the arms of nervous women as they get the jab," Carlson said. "'Look at me,' she coos reassuringly. 'It doesn't hurt.'"
"That's right. It's only Kool-Aid. Drink the whole cup."
The Fox host concluded with particular disdain over the Vogue piece referring to Biden as a "joy multiplier."
"Who is this amazing woman, this servant, saint, humanitarian, genius medical missionary who has still somehow managed to stay beguilingly sexy at 69?" he said. "What did America do to deserve her?"
"Well, thankfully, Vogue answers that question. Dr. Jill, the magazine declares, is a 'joy multiplier.'"
He continued: "Back in North Korea, they must've read the latest issue of Vogue with their jaws open. A 'joy multiplier'? Joy brigade, sure. But 'joy multiplier?'"
"That might be too far, even for the Kim family. North Korea may be a hermit kingdom, but even they're not that stupid."
In December, Carlson's attacks on the first lady led to an advertiser pulling its sponsorship from his show. By then, the host had mocked Biden's dissertation by speculating she is "borderline illiterate" and stated she was a doctor "in the same sense Dr. Pepper is."
