Tucker Carlson, the Fox News host, admitted being wrong about the possibility of Russia invading Ukraine, but blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and the Joe Biden administration for his mistake, Newsweek reported. 

He mentioned how Biden’s decision to send Harris to the Munich Security Conference, in February, convinced him that the threat against Ukraine wasn’t too serious. In recent times, Carlson has come under further fire for having downplayed the tense situation at the Ukraine border, even after the Russian troop buildup. He’d also defended President Vladimir Putin before he sent in the army claiming to “denazify” and “demilitarize” Ukraine. 

Carlson started off his apology by first reporting the news that Russian troops had attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is the largest in Europe. This attack has subsequently been condemned by world leaders, with even the usually-reticent China urging restraint. 

The Fox News host began his address saying, “So, the situation appears to be more chaotic by the day, possibly even spinning out of control. And that, we must be honest, is shocking to us. We’ve been taken by surprise by the whole thing. We’re not the only ones who were, but we’re willing to admit it. The only thing more embarrassing than being wrong in your estimates is pretending that you weren’t. So why didn’t we see this coming, this total loss of control?” 

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Carlson continued, “Well, because we assumed that if things were dire, serious people would be involved in fixing them. But we looked up and we saw Kamala Harris involved, and that reassured us”, and added, “Harris had just come back from Europe where she’d been conducting, quote, ‘diplomacy’ with our allies, and that appeared to be proof this could not really be a big deal”. 

He also clarified to his viewers, “If the situation in Ukraine had been legitimately serious, if the future of Europe and the world hung in the balance as now so obviously it does, of course the Biden administration would not have sent Kamala Harris to fix it, because that’s not her job”. 

Carlson said that he’d underestimated Putin but at the same time, he’d overestimated Biden, adding, “But averting war with Russia, saving the civilized world? Come on, that is absolutely not Kamala Harris’ job. That was our assumption. But, as noted, we were wrong”. He also took the opportunity to draw attention to Harris’ role in attempting to reduce the influx of Mexicans into the US. 

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Her diplomatic efforts drew criticism from the opposition Republican party, and Carlson built on it, asserting, “We assumed that once Kamala Harris humiliated the United States in Munich and jeopardized its core interests, that maybe her boss, Joe Biden, would realize maybe borders aren’t her thing. Maybe if you want borders between two countries from being violated, maybe you don’t send Kamala Harris”. 

Notably, Carlson’s comments come at a time when the White House is considering sending Harris to Poland and Romania in a show of solidarity to Ukraine.