Tucker Carlson gets a lesson in trolling after he criticizes BTS' White House visit
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Tucker Carlson has awakened the sleeping giant that is the BTS Army.
The Fox News commentator on Tuesday made snide comments about President Biden inviting the South Korean pop group to the White House, provoking the K-pop act's influential army of fans, who dished it right back to the right-wing pundit.
“Things have gotten very bad for Joe Biden, both public-facing and internally. What are they doing about it? Well, they broke glass in case of emergency and invited a Korean pop group to speak at the White House today,” Carlson said on the cable network's opinion program "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
The "Butter" singers delivered remarks in the White House press briefing room on Tuesday before meeting with Biden to discuss Asian representation, inclusion and anti-Asian hate crimes. The visit capped the administration-backed Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. But it appears Carlson missed that detail.
“Yeah, so we got a Korean pop group to discuss anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States. OK. Good job, guys,” he said. “Yep, they hate the country and they’re trying to degrade it. ... And it’s working."
The band's meeting with the president was closed to the press, but Biden tweeted about it afterward, writing: "It was great to meet with you, @bts_bighit . Thanks for all you’re doing to raise awareness around the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination. I look forward to sharing more of our conversation soon." BTS thanked the BTS Army for making the meeting happen.
Carlson quickly got a lesson in the power of the passionate fan base, which flooded his Twitter feed with replies, crass memes and mentions, as die-hards are wont to do when a topic piques their interest.
"Not so dear Mr. Carlson, please don't think we are not able to hear your rage and disgust, when people try to bring a change for the better. And yes, BTS are doing that. With honesty, love, respect and compassion. All those things you have to look up in a dictionary," replied a fan in response to the video segment the host tweeted.
"So the most influential band in the world speaks about Asian hate, because their words actually make a difference and that’s bad? but you work for Fox and support Trump, and are what, US saviour? You are WHAT IS WRONG in the US. Stop hating on BTS #BTSatTheWhiteHouse #BTSARMY," replied another fan.
"I may not like Biden that much either but I hope you were not sarcastic when you said 'good job guys' cos they [BTS] have been spreading equality since 2017. Whether WH is using them for clout, i dont care. as long as they can spread the message!" wrote a different fan.
Another Army member replied with a photo bearing this message: "To whom it may concern, We are currently on a BTS lockdown, and therefore will not be entertaining any distractions nor b— from you. Please contact us 72 hours after comeback for further concerns. Regards, ARMY."
"BTS Jungkook's new tattoo is much [more] interesting than your opinion Mr. Carlson," a different tweet said, and a reply to that said, "Well to be fair anything JK does is more interesting than that dude."
"Tucker I usually agree with you. However please look into BTS a bit more. They write their own songs on topics about getting through depression, not committing suicide, loving yourself and accepting others. Topics our youth need role models for. Rally around their positivity," wrote a Carlson and BTS fan.
"Bts has to deal w a lot of hate all over the world bc of their race. I think they know what they are talking about and they promote inclusivity," added another Twitter user.
And critics of Carlson welcomed the commentary. Here's a look at what some of them had to say:
now that tucker carlson has gone after bts they're going to find him dead in a ditch and have to use dental records to identify him
— cool lich (@cool_lich) June 1, 2022
Tucker Carson rude af...you need to apologize...and check yourself...if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything
— †♔ ᴮᴱJasmine⁷ ♔† (@BTSJasmineV) June 1, 2022
if tucker carlson is attacking bts then bts did something right https://t.co/ZYtpQpNVs5
— pauline⁷ (@namjintellect) June 1, 2022
if ARMY can destroy tucker carlson I swear to god I will listen every BTS song 🙏🙏 I know u guys can do this https://t.co/WrtCNUg72D
— ellen (BLM resources in linktree!) (@celestielle7) June 1, 2022
Tucker Carlson deciding to take on BTS stans might genuinely be one of the worst media decisions he's ever made. They will haunt him for the rest of time. https://t.co/3Irz7dEN8c
— Ohmic Imp 🏳️⚧️ (@OhmicImp) June 1, 2022
I don't like BTS stans.
But if they fight against Tucker Carlson, I'll proudly fight alongside them.— Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver 🔞 (@donmcspankies) June 1, 2022
biden having bts at the white house is absolutely primarily a distracting publicity stunt and if you fell for it you're probably a dangerously uncritical obsessive fan or a brainless liberal or both. with that said I cant wait to see how tucker carlson handles rabid kpop fans lol
— pro pho anti fa (@souplover1312) June 1, 2022
so thankful i live in a timeline where i get to see bts stans destroy tucker carlson
— :3 (@mackiem0de) June 1, 2022
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.