'They were super obvious questions': Tucker Carlson hits back at Chelsea Clinton for calling on Facebook to censor him after asking why vaccinated people 'have to live under restrictions?'
Tucker Carlson has hit back at Chelsea Clinton on Thursday night, after she called on Facebook to ban him from the platform for saying that vaccinated people should return to normal life and not have to wear masks, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Clinton had chimed in on Twitter amid a spat between Carlson and Dr. Anthony Fauci about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Clinton said that Facebook should remove Carlson for spreading disinformation about COVID, adding: '@TuckerCarlson consistently spews racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic hate and misinformation across his platforms. He doesn't deserve a microphone.'
Carlson on Thursday night responded, mockingly describing Bill and Hillary Clinton's only child as an 'internationally renowned humanitarian and intellectual', and saying she 'called today for Facebook to shut us down'.
Carlson on his show on Wednesday said that he has been asking for months why vaccinated people 'have to live under' coronavirus restrictions. On Thursday he continued asking
He continued: 'Dr Chelsea Clinton is mad that we asked super obvious questions that everyone in the country should be asking.'
'So does the vaccine, and there are a couple of them, but do they work or don't they work? It is okay, you can tell us.'
Carlson noted that the CEO of Pfizer said earlier on Thursday that people may need a booster shot of his vaccine after a year.
On the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, it states: 'We're still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions—like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—in public places until we know more.'
The US has recorded 31,495,164 cases and 565,283 deaths from the coronavirus as of late Thursday night
Meanwhile, the US is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine to 12 months after people are initially vaccinated against COVID-19, a White House official said on Thursday.
It is also tracking infections in people who have been fully vaccinated, Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, told the House subcommittee hearing. Walensky said some of these infections occurred because the vaccinated person did not mount a strong immune response. But the concern is that in some cases, they are occurring in people infected by more contagious virus variants.
Carlson on his show on Wednesday said that he has been asking for months why vaccinated people 'have to live under the restrictions that the vaccines were supposed to eliminate' while taking shots at Fauci.
'We're wondering if Fauci is telling Americans who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from the coronavirus itself that they aren't protected from future infections,' Carlson said on his show.
Fauci had earlier in the day said that Carlson's questions that the coronavirus vaccines may not be effective because vaccinated people still have to wear masks is a 'conspiracy theory.'
Chelsea Clinton has been slammed on Twitter after chiming in amid a spat between Tucker Carlson and Dr. Anthony Fauci
Fauci had said that Carlson's questions that the coronavirus vaccines may not be effective because vaccinated people still have to wear masks is a 'conspiracy theory'
Clinton then called on Facebook to band Carlson after his segment on Wednesday
'That's just a typical, crazy conspiracy theory. Why would we not tell people if it doesn't work? Look at the data. The data are overwhelming,' Fauci said.
'In the three vaccines that have been approved for use in an emergency use authorization – the J&J, the Pfizer, and the Moderna – you had 30,000, 44,000 and 40,000 people in a clinical trial with an overwhelming signal of efficacy.'
Fauci added: 'So I don't have any idea what he's talking about.'
Clinton then retweeted a post containing a screenshot of Carlson from his show and noted that Facebook had banned false claims about COVID-19 vaccines in December.
'In December, @facebook banned claims about #covid19 vaccines 'that have been debunked by public health experts',' she tweeted.
She later continued to tweet about Carlson and her calls to ban him from Facebook
Clinton said that Carlson's comments were 'especially troubling given Republican men are currently most likely to say they're not interested in being vaccinated.'
She later added that: '@TuckerCarlson consistently spews racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic hate and misinformation across his platforms. He doesn't deserve a microphone.'
'Also, @Facebook needs to live up to its own commitment. It's not just one user or one false #covid19 post, it's the mess of misinformation unchecked everyday,' Clinton tweeted.
'The most popular story on the J&J vaccine is a post from a known conspiracy theorist. Come on!'
Critics of Clinton took to Twitter to defend Carlson from the attacks by the former first daughter
Twitter users were quick to slam the former first daughter for her comments on Thursday.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald simply wrote: 'Please remove from the internet any content that displeases or otherwise causes any discomfort for Chelsea Clinton.'
English singer-songwriter Gareth Icke said that 'being hated by a Clinton is probably something to be worn as a badge of honour.'
Mediaite columnist John Ziegler took the opportunity to slam Fauci with his comment, while defending Carlson.
'Not only is this Tucker Carlson controversy based on a misperception of what he actually said, the basis of his commentary was a perfectly logic interpretation of Dr. Fauci's own words/actions on the vaccines,' Ziegler wrote.
'It is Fauci who appears to be the anti-vaxer!'
Some, however, took to Twitter to defend Clinton amid the scandal between Fauci and Carlson
Missy Crane of the Wayne Dupree Show, an internet radio show, called the entire Clinton family 'crooks.'
'Chelsea's parents are notorious crooks and her father is a womanizer and an accused serial rapist, but this privileged little darling is calling on FB to ban an American patriot and good family man,' Crane tweeted on the show's account.
Others took the chance to call Carlson 'the last real journalist in America today.'
'What are you so afraid of? Perhaps the truth?' @Claudred tweeted.
Another Twitter user wrote: 'Chelsea Clinton carries on the trashy behavior of her parents.'
However, not all took the chance to attack Clinton. Some backed her and instead chose to criticize the Fox News host.
Columnist David Weissman, former congressional candidate Rob Anderson, and actor Debra Messing all tweeted: 'I stand with Chelsea Clinton on calling Facebook to ban Tucker Carlson.'
