Tucker Carlson tells ‘wounded’ Trump that he loves him

Tucker Carlson has said that he “loves” Donald Trump amid reports that the former president could soon face an indictment in a hush money case.

The new comments by Carlson come after text messages by the Fox News host, released as part of a defamation lawsuit against the news network, said he “passionately hated” Mr Trump. One of the messages had also said Carlson could not wait to “ignore” the one-time president.

In an interview with WABC Radio on Tuesday, Carlson said he spent four years defending the former president and finds him to be “funny and insightful”.

“I spent four years defending his policies, and I am going to defend them again tonight,” Carlson said.

“And actually, and I’m pretty straightforward, I love Trump, like as a person. I think Trump is funny and insightful.”

“And I said this to Trump when he called me, you know, all wounded about those texts,” he said.

“That was a moment in time where I was absolutely infuriated... And those were all grabbed completely illegitimately in my opinion in this court case, which I guess I’m not allowed to talk about.”

Carlson’s texts were released earlier this month as part of a bombshell revelation in the $1.6bn defamation lawsuit brought about by Dominion Voting Systems.

“We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights,” Carlson had told an unknown Fox News employee just two days before the Jan 6 Capitol riot, according to the court documents.

“I truly can’t wait.”

“I hate him passionately,” he said.

On Tuesday, attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems told a judge in Delaware that Fox News personalities and executives knew baseless allegations of vote manipulation in the 2020 presidential election were false but continued to air those claims and host the people who made them.

Fox News attorneys said the network rightfully aired newsworthy claims endorsed by Mr Trump.