Former Fox host Tucker Carlson has announced his involvement in a tobacco business venture intended to rival the popular Zyn nicotine pouches. Carlson was an enthusiastic supporter of Zyn, and during an interview last year, he described it as a powerful work enhancer and a “powerful male enhancer.” He subsequently reached out to parent company Philip Morris International to discuss a promotions deal but was rejected. The company said his remarks about enhancement lacked a “scientific foundation” and could promote misunderstanding and misuse of the product.
Carlson recently increased his criticism of Philip Morris International after learning it had made substantial donations to Kamala Harris’s Presidential campaign. Promoting the new product, named Alp, the conservative commentator denounced Zyn as “for women and liberals” and said Philip Morris had “nothing in common with their consumers.”
The new business venture comes as Mr. Carlson faces continued criticism for platforming an alleged Nazi apologist and describing him as “the most important historian in the United States.” In a long discussion posted to his Twitter account, Carlson questioned Darryl Cooper about the Second World War and discovered that Cooper considers British wartime leader Winston Churchill the real “villain” of the global conflict.
Mr. Cooper insisted that Adolf Hitler wanted peace, but Churchill would not agree. The historian stated that Mr. Churchill was primarily responsible for the war and that the Nazis did not really intend to carry out the Holocaust that killed six million Jews and many others. Cooper cited letters from Nazi officers complaining that they did not have enough food for millions of prisoners and it would therefore be “more humane” to “finish them all off.”
The White House issued a statement condemning Mr. Carlson for providing a platform to a “Nazi apologist.” Senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said the interview was an insult to the memory of millions who died at Hitler’s hands, including the American soldiers who died fighting the Nazi regime.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk also came under fire when he shared a video of the interview, calling it interesting and worth watching. Mr. Musk later deleted his tweet without further comment.
