Throughout Trump’s presidency, the theme of a “needed ideological shift” has often come to the fore. Everyone could see that the Republican coalition was reaching more and more working-class voters, while the Democratic coalition was shifting towards the wealthy middle class. The question since then has been whether this shift will fundamentally change bipartisan priorities, as Trump’s 2016 populist campaign showed, or whether Republicans and Democrats will return to common sense once Trump leaves the White House.

This question is yet to be answered. In a certain light, parties today seem to be resurrected from their shifting alliances. However, from another point of view, any deep ideological intersection seems doomed from the very beginning. However, if we observe carefully, we will find a gradual transformation of perceptions. What distinguishes the New (and Younger) Right is their political suspicion, their deep antipathy towards all state institutions, their uncritical acceptance of conspiracy theories, their hostility towards every government official and any partnership between business and the state. At the same time, their skepticism about the American empire and the future of the United States is absolute and reminiscent of the left in the 1960s.

For six years in a row, until he was fired from the Fox News network, Tucker Carlson’s show provided the perfect gallery to watch this change. The key to understanding the show was not ideology, but suspicion. Tucker has managed to be both a credible political talk show host and an ardent supporter of the most extreme positions of the Republican Party.

But something changed for Carlson with the Iraq War back in 2006, with the host becoming increasingly bitter, frustrated and extreme since he still appeared as a commentator on shows with other hosts. However, Tucker is not like other conservative figures who have succumbed to Trumpism, following the preferences of their listeners. He was a Trumpian only to the extent that Trump was consistent with his own worldview, that is, in the direction of a complete rejection of the Western order of things and what it represents, for example, the acceptance of diversity.

The New Right’s skepticism about the American empire and the future of the United States is stark and reminiscent of the Left’s skepticism in the 1960s.

That’s why his show was usually on the extreme right on the ideological spectrum, but sometimes also on the left. After all, Tucker hosted journalist Glenn Greenwald on several occasions due to his opposition to US policy on Iran. One can also collect several excerpts from Carlson’s radio broadcasts in which he espouses a leftist economic position. These tours of progressivism have not stopped him from supporting the far-right “Great Replacement” immigration theory or obsession with the possible role of the FBI in orchestrating the January 6, 2021 riots on Capitol Hill.

The exception was the coverage of the pandemic on its air. While health officials and politicians seemed reassuring, Carlson issued dire warnings about the dangers of the virus, making a trip to Mar-a-Lago to bring Trump out of dormancy. But just as the political world was enthusiastic about the containment measures, Tucker turned around to criticize quarantines and vaccinations.

In a recent interview, Carlson said he regrets his inability to diagnose the dark forces that drive the threads of the planet, such as the media. Although the new conservatives of the 1980s or 1990s were already suspicious of the progressive media, they retained their trust in institutions such as the CIA, the FBI, the military, and large corporations.

Conservatives who grew up after the Iraq War and the financial crisis feel disconnected from American institutions and feel that the elite have failed in their mission. That’s why Carlson has attracted more new viewers than any of his peers on the Fox network. However, his departure from the popular network will surely reduce his popularity and influence on political events, threatening to leave the post of spokesman for contemporary American conservative populism vacant.