Tucker Carlson is now reportedly questioning how Americans, including many on the right, are responding to the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, arguing that the reaction reveals a troubling level of desensitization to violence.
In a newsletter sent this week to subscribers of his network, Carlson asked why so few conservatives appear to be viewing the incident through what he described as a “human lens.” He suggested that the political response to the killing reflects a broader cultural numbness to bloodshed, both at home and abroad.
“How come so few conservatives are viewing this story through a human lens?” Carlson wrote, framing the question as a challenge to his own audience.
The commentary referenced how some on the left reacted to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last September, noting that political violence has increasingly been met with partisan justification rather than moral outrage. Carlson’s post suggested that when violence happens to someone with opposing political views, it is often dismissed or even celebrated.
“Say, when something similar, like the killing of Charlie Kirk, happens on the other side, did many on the left celebrate because they thought his political positions were wrong? We have a guess,” the newsletter stated. Carlson argued that constant exposure to global conflict is dulling Americans’ sensitivity to violence within the United States.
The comments followed the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot and killed earlier this week by an ICE officer identified as Jonathan Ross. Federal officials have said the officer acted in self-defense, alleging that Good used her vehicle as a weapon. That account has been disputed by local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Carlson emphasized that regardless of political disagreements or competing narratives about the incident, the loss of life should not be minimized or brushed aside. In the newsletter, he pointed out that Good was an American citizen and reportedly the mother of a kindergarten-aged child.d
“The 37-year-old was an American citizen and reportedly the mother of a kindergarten-aged child,” Carlson wrote. “Did we disagree with her views on immigration? Probably. But that shouldn’t matter.”
He went on to argue that the circumstances surrounding the shooting should not obscure the basic human reality of what occurred. “Her death is a tragedy, regardless of her partisan affiliations, ideological beliefs, or who pulled the trigger,” Carlson wrote. “A woman was shot in the face.”
Carlson placed the reaction to the shooting within a larger global context, accusing American leaders of helping normalize violence through their handling of international conflicts. He cited the U.S. operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, as well as ongoing wars involving Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas.
According to Carlson, constant exposure to overseas bloodshed is conditioning Americans to accept violence as routine rather than tragic. He argued that political leaders bear responsibility for setting that tone.
“America’s leaders must stop normalizing bloodshed,” Carlson wrote. He said this requires viewing war as a last resort rather than a first option and ending what he described as reckless enthusiasm for military action.
The newsletter closed with a pointed criticism of hawkish rhetoric in Washington, singling out Lindsey Graham for what Carlson described as a fixation on killing as political spectacle.
Carlson’s message was less about policy than moral reflection, urging Americans—especially conservatives—not to lose sight of the human cost behind headlines and political arguments, even when the victims fall on the other side of deeply divisive debates.
