Watch Tucker Carlson’s articulation of “The Great Replacement” theory during Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight on September 22, 2021:
How do proponents of “The Great Replacement” theory like Tucker Carlson define U.S. national belonging, and what version of U.S. national origins do they presuppose? How does this definition of national belonging intersect with notions of race, ethnicity, and migration, and what implications does it have for social cohesion and inclusivity in contemporary American society?
In this segment, Tucker Carlson defines U.S. national belonging in a really narrow and exclusionary way. He frames “real” Americans as people whose “ancestors lived here,” which implicitly centers white, European-descended populations as the default Americans. He emphasizes preserving the “racial mix” of the country which suggests that American identity is tied to whiteness and longstanding lineage. This ignores the reality that the U.S. has always been shaped by immigration and diversity. He is leaning on an imagined past where the country was racially homogenous, which is not historically accurate.
Carlson interprets immigration (especially from non-European countries) as a threat to political power and stability. When he talks about changing the “racial mix” or suggests that immigrants are being brought in to replace “legacy Americans,” he is racializing immigration and presenting non-white migrants as outsiders who cannot fully belong. That creates a hierarchy where some groups are seen as more legitimately American than others.
In Molly Redden’s article, she explains how far-right rhetoric has increasingly framed immigration as an “invasion.” Carlson does this by describing immigration as something overwhelming that will change the country “forever.” He obviously wants to inspire fear, and that framing has real implications … especially when it is viewed by large audiences and then gets used to justify extreme policies.
Carlson defines U.S. national belonging through true Americans who are “legacy Americans,” with ancestors who came from Europe and settled here in a new land. He roots national identity with a specific group of people (white European settlers) and believes immigrants and minority groups will only taint America’s culture. By defining U.S. national belonging to only a certain group of people he purposefully leaves out the millions of true Americans who have immigrated from all over the world to participate in American society.
Carlson argues that the current (2021) immigration policies are not accidental but a purposeful replacement of white Americans with immigrants or minority groups to change the racial mix of the country, take away political power, and change true American culture. This, as he defines it, is “The Great Replacement” theory. He claims that immigration will slowly turn our country soft, and all of this non-white DNA will turn us into a nation of eugenics. He also adds that the U.S. favors illegal aliens over true Americans allowing them to bypass the law. This purposeful replacement, as he says, will slowly deteriorate America’s infrastructure such as schools, health care, and culture. Because of this, immigrants, as he claims, are a direct assault on the rights of Americans.