Tucker Carlson Hails Trump as ‘Bravest Man’ in RNC Speech After Telling Staffer, ‘I Hate Him Passionately’

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson addressed the Republican National Convention on the fourth and final night on Thursday, where he lauded a man of whom he once said, “I hate him passionately.”

Before Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination, Carlson addressed the crowd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and hailed the former president as “the bravest man.” On Saturday, Trump was nearly assassinated while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He was shot in the ear. One rally-goer was killed and two others were critically wounded.

A group of Secret Service agents swarmed a bloodied Trump, who eventually got up and held up a fist and told the audience, “Fight.”

“When he stood up after being shot in the face, bloodied, and put his and up, I thought at that moment, that was a transformation,” Carlson said. “This was no longer a man. I think that– I think it was divine intervention. But the effect that it had on Donald Trump, he was no longer just a political party’s nominee or a former president or a future president. This was the leader of a nation.”

The crowd cheered and applauded.

“Being a leader is very different,” he went on. “It’s not a title. It’s organic. You can’t name someone a leader. A leader is the bravest man. That’s what the leader is. That is true in all human organizations. This is a law of nature. And in that moment, Donald Trump – months before the presidential election – became the leader of this nation.”

Last year, Carlson was revealed to have said several unflattering things about Trump in private. According to texts included in a court filing by Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News, Carlson repeatedly bashed the ex-president.

“We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights,” he texted a staffer on Jan. 4, 2021, after the lame-duck Trump lost the 2020 election. “I truly can’t wait,” he added.

After receiving a reply from the staffer, Carlson responded, “I hate him passionately.”

In other correspondence, Carlson told his producer that Trump is “a demonic force, a destroyer.”

Dominion sued Fox News after several hosts and guests suggested or outright alleged the company had helped rig the election for President Joe Biden . Fox ultimately settled the suit for $787.5 million. Less than a week later, Carlson was fired .

During his convention speech, Carlson made two passing references to the 2020 election, insinuating it was rigged.

Watch above via Fox News.