Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson debated Albuquerque, NM-based Internet marketing company CEO Mathew Blanchfield over his refusal to do business with supporters of President-elect Donald Trump.
Partial transcript as follows:
CARLSON: The statement that you issued is that it’s totally straight forward. There’s nothing stealthy or feline about it and I do respect that, but it does seem like you are saying of Trump voters, you’re not just wrong but you’re bad people. Is that what you’re saying?
BLANCHFIELD: That is not my intention, no, I don’t believe that the majority of Trump voters are bad people. I believe that most people are probably ignorant of what the reality of their vote actually means.
CARLSON: So then why wouldn’t you do business with people who are just wrong? I mean, I think most of us feel that way when we vote, we feel passionately about our position, we acknowledge others feel the same way about theirs, but we can still kind of come together in the public square. We don’t need to exclude them from our lives.
BLANCHFIELD: I understand what you’re saying. I believe that the moral principle is so large in this particular situation that people who believe in what’s right need to stand up, and ignorance of evil and ignorance of injustice is not a justification to be part of it. So anyone that supports Trump by omission or by commission are not welcome to do business in my company.
CARLSON: I’m sure you see the irony, and I can’t be the first person to point out that in the name of inclusiveness you’re excluding people, and that in the name of tolerance you’re being intolerant. Has that occurred to you?
BLANCHFIELD: I have not made the claim that I’m trying to be inclusive or tolerant. I’m not tolerant of bigotry, I am not tolerant of fascism. I am not tolerant of sexism and I’m not attempting to be.
CARLSON: You don’t really believe that Trump is a fascist dictator or you would be Dietrich Bonhoeffer. You would be fighting against him for real.
BLANCHFIELD: I absolutely believe Trump is a fascist. Hitler was elected illegally. Putin was elected illegally. It appears that Trump will be elected soon. He lost the majority vote, the popular vote. It appears that the election that was rigged against him, he’ll have less votes than his opponent and take office, I find that ironic. I believe Trump is a fascist and I believe his actions thus far are indicative of what a fascist does.
CARLSON: Then why wouldn’t you take up arms against him? If you believe the country is being taken over by someone compared to Hitler, that’s like the worst that could ever happen.
BLANCHFIELD: That’s correct. I believe that this interview right now is the first step that I’m able to make to do so. I’ve received probably 50 death threats, threats against my children. My email has not stopped from people singing Hitler songs and claiming that they are the KKK–
CARLSON: That is awful. Any normal person would not agree with any of that. But also, if you are decrying the climate of rage and intolerance, aren’t you adding to it? You’re saying you won’t do business with Trump supporters. Would you have them into your home? Would you eat with them, use the same water fountain as you do?
BLANCHFIELD: I guess my question for you is if you were a member of the Nazi party in the ’40s, in Hitlers day, would you have done business with Nazi party members?
CARLSON: I’m asking you a specific question about what’s going on now. Donald Trump was just elected president and you’re saying you’re not doing business with his supporters, and my question is to what degree will you take it? Will you eat with them, would you allow a Trump Supporter in your home?
BLANCHFIELD: Would I allow a Trump supporter in my home, yes. I would have no problem talking with Trump supporters. I work with Trump supporters. I eat with Trump supporters. As a citizen of the United States I’m fully within my legal rights and within the state I live in, there’s nothing illegal about me choosing not to do business with someone who supports someone I believe to be a dictator.
CARLSON: That is legal, but do you think it’s okay? As a principle, do you think it’s okay for people to refuse to do business with others they disagree with? You think that’s all right?
BLANCHFIELD: Absolutely, and I think when I asked if you would have done business with Nazi party members in the ’40s. You, an educated person, can determine if you would do so—
CARLSON: Since you pushed it, that is an absurd thing to say and of course there’s no comparison at all. If we can move beyond that –
BLANCHFIELD: Explain to me the absurdity in my statement, Sir.
CARLSON: That Trump is Hitler? I think it’s self-discrediteding.
BLANCHFIELD: I didn’t say Trump was Hitler. I said Trump was a fascist.
CARLSON: I doubt you could define the term. Let me get to specifics.
BLANCHFIELD: Then educate me with the term because —
CARLSON: You’re the one throwing out the term fascist —
BLANCHFIELD: What an authoritarian dictator is, I’m quite aware of what that is, aware of what fascism means. I’m aware of all of these definitions and his behavior even with the top media experts or leaders of the country just two days ago was a totally authoritarian…
CARLSON: Look–
BLANCHFIELD: Let me finish, then he brought them to his ivory tower and berated the United States press and said if you resist him that he will — he didn’t even have the moral turpitude to do it openly.
CARLSON You’re trying my patience here because what you’re doing is belittling historic reality. Being rude to news anchors that make $3 million a year is not the same as rounding up people and killing them. For you to say that it does diminish historical crimes. I don’t want to dwell on that because I think it diminishes you.
BLANCHFIELD: Feel free to diminish as much as you like.
CARLSON: You’re doing it to yourself. I think it’s valid to not like Trump, but if we were living in a fascist dictatorship, our men would drag you off the screen. Let me ask you this, the left has argued that it is not allowable —
BLANCHFIELD: Maybe you do need to look at your history because that’s not exactly how Hitler began. that’s not exactly how Putin began. There are many elected dictators that didn’t start off by dragging people off the first day. You might want to do some reading of history yourself.
CARLSON: Okay. I think we’re veering into hysteria here. But let me ask you this. The left has argued consistently for the past eight years that if you disagree with somebody, his behavior or beliefs, you are not allowed to decline to do business with him, that is discrimination, and you’ve seen it in a famous case over wedding cakes and gay marriage and yet you’re saying that’s totally fine.
BLANCHFIELD: I don’t claim to speak for the left. I don’t claim to speak for any group or organization. I claim to speak for myself and I believe that standing up for injustice is the foundation of what the country is about. I believe having the moral turpitude to stand up against the masses is what a citizen and patriot actually does. I believe it’s having the courage to risk your business, your reputation, your physical well-being against mass hysteria to use your term is mandated by our constitution if you want to adhere to it properly.
CARLSON: You are on a moral vanity trip like I’ve never seen. Has it occurred to you that every rich person is with you, that you’re taking no risk at all, that people like you are celebrated in American newspapers and award ceremonies? Come on.
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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