Is America heading towards popular revolution? Tucker Carlson raises concerns over growing discontent

Prominent conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, who campaigned for Donald Trump during his 2024 reelection bid, warned that the United States faces a growing risk of a popular revolution due to what he described as the political leadership's indifference toward ordinary Americans.

"We have leaders who have contempt for us, who take us for granted, who use us, who lie to us, who really don't care about us at all," Carlson said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Carlson pointed to the decline in American life expectancy as a sign of deeper problems. He said the shrinking middle class has fuelled public dissatisfaction across the country.

"And we know that because when life expectancy declines, when people die younger, when the middle class disappears as it did 11 years ago, and nobody says anything about it," he said.

Carlson's argument refers to statistical reports released by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the figures, the United States recorded a historic 2.7-year fall in life expectancy between 2020 and 2021, bringing the national average down to 76.1 years, the lowest level since 1996.

He argued that the United States continues to trail other wealthy countries, which average 82.7 years in life expectancy. He also said rural communities and low-income groups have suffered the most from the country's health crisis.

When Carlson was asked about the pessimistic picture he was painting about life in the world's largest economy, he rejected that characterisation.

"It's not a bleak picture. It's a normal, human picture."

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"Success breeds decadence, which spurs collapse, and then you have a reset. And hopefully it's a non-dramatic reset where people just kind of come to their senses and recall why they were successful in the first place and do those things. I don't want revolution, but we're going to get a revolution if this continues," Carlson said.

Carlson said he does not support political violence but warned that people could eventually turn to violent means if they believe voting no longer offers a way to bring change.

"If you convey to people that their vote does not matter, that there's no nonviolent way to be heard, they will by definition, over time, resort to violence. I don't want that," Carlson added.

Carlson, who spent nearly two decades in mainstream media, later withdrew his support for President Donald Trump over the US-Israeli war on Iran. He also accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and questioned its influence on American politics, saying the United States has backed the country with military aid and diplomatic support over the years.

He also suggested Vice President JD Vance as a future Republican presidential candidate, saying Vance would not have allowed the United States to become involved in a war with Iran and accusing Israel of dragging America into the conflict.