Tucker Carlson says congresswoman and registered nurse Cori Bush is ‘too stupid’ to hold a real job

Tucker Carlson has sparked criticism after he claimed that congresswoman Cori Bush, who formerly worked as a registered nurse, was “too stupid” to hold a real job.

The attack came on Mr Carlson’s Fox News show on Tuesday following the Fourth of July celebrations.

On the holiday, Ms Bush, a Black representative for Missouri, tweeted that, “When they say that the 4th of July is about American freedom, remember this: the freedom they’re referring to is for white people.”

She added: “This land is stolen land and Black people still aren’t free.”

The statement instantly sparked backlash from conservative politicians and commentators, like Mr Carlson.

“Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush, for example – someone who could never have a job in the real world because she’s not smart enough for a real job, complained that her taxpayer-funded gig is really a form of slavery,” the Fox News host said on his show.

“Cori Bush, however, is free to say stupid things on Twitter as much as she wants. And draw a federal paycheck! And draw lifetime benefits for her job wrecking the country that she hates,” he added after reading her tweet for his viewers.

Mr Carlson then made a blanketed statement about what minority lawmakers want people to think about living in the US.

“So the people who run the country are telling us two things,” he said. “One, the country is not worth having and it’s terrible and, two, despite being the most powerful people in the country, they are oppressed. How should we interpret this?”

Ms Bush worked as a registered nurse and pastor in St Louis, Missouri, prior to becoming a politician.

People were quick to point that out on social media following Mr Carlson’s comments about her being “too stupid” for a real job.

“Hey Tucker. Sorry to hear you don’t think nursing is a real job. Hard for me to understand since I worked in nursing for over 30 years and eventually obtained a Wharton MBA in healthcare admin and PhD from Penn. All while providing nursing care. But then you probably know better,” one Twitter commentator wrote.

Another person called Ms Bush a “hero who saved lives”, given her previous profession.

There were also questions on if Mr Carlson’s comments were racist given that the congresswoman is Black.

“@TuckerCarlson has no clue she’s a nurse. He’s just a racist that thinks a black woman couldn’t possibly have a job (and a decent one at that). Oh, and that black women aren’t smart,” a Twitter user wrote.

Other commentators pointed out the irony of Mr Carlson’s statements given he was the heir of a wealthy family fortune, of which he’s previously bragged about when speaking of his trust fund.

“I’m like extraordinarily loaded, just like from money I inherited from my number of trust funds … I go out and beat some servants, I’ll wrap my Lamborghini around a tree, go pick up a kilo [of cocaine] or two – just like normal stuff like that… I’m completely a [trust fund baby]. I never needed to work, the whole cable news thing was just a total pose, it was just like a phase I was going through,” Mr Carlson said during a 2008 radio interview with The Bubba the Love Sponge Show  – a provocative morning talk show that used to air in Tampa, Florida.

After this interview surfaced from a 2019 Mediate report, Mr Carlson said the comments were just him “saying something naughty on a radio show more than a decade ago”.