Others who knew Carlson said that the connection between the two men was real. One was a conservative commentator and once wore a bowtie. The other was a music star and eccentric musician whose turbulent relationship with Kim Kardashian ended in divorce.According to a third person, Carlson had stated that he would vote West before the election. They get along. Both are often in conflict. This associate stated that they are both pro-life.According to Florida registration records, Carlson is registered in Florida as a Republican voter. According to voting records from Lee County, Carlson voted in person in 2020.However, West did not make it to the Florida ballot in 2020. This suggests that Carlson must have written in his name if he voted for the volatile rapper.West ran on a Birthday Party ticket and was able to get more than 60,000 votes. However, unlike New York and Connecticut's, West did not submit the required paperwork to Florida's elections division. Therefore, any write-in votes for West were not counted.POLITICO attempted to determine if any voter tried to vote for West, but Carlson declined to comment. Lee County doesn't keep track of how many votes write-in candidates such as West have received, which complicates those efforts. A county official stated that there were 8 invalid votes in the precinct in which Carlson voted last election.Tammy Lipa, another Lee County election official said in a short interview that she had a vague memory of some people who wrote in West.Carlson is a vocal populist and his eponymous show has been the most watched on cable news. He was credited on the left with helping Trump to agree not to attack Iran in the early 2020s. He has also been critical about some Trump's policies, including criminal justice reform. Liberals have condemned Carlson's remarks on immigration and racial issues. They accuse him of spreading divisive, toxic ideas.According to associates, Carlson and West share a friendly, but not necessarily close relationship. They have spoken on occasion and Carlson spent time in Wyoming shortly before the election. According to someone familiar with the trip, the interview was cancelled but the two men had a cordial exchange. West was unable to be reached for comment.Carlson has given West high praises for his program. He called West the most persuasive voice against Planned Parenthood and abortion last August.Carlson stated that Kanye West is the most honest, sincere, and effective national platform leader on core conservative issues. Perhaps in the next generation.After West, a hip-hop artist wearing a Make America Great Again Hat, visited the Oval Office in 2018, Carlson impliedly compared West and Trump. He was there to discuss policies that affect Black Americans, such as criminal justice reform. After West spent ten minutes pontificating about issues like male energy, sleep deprivation, and his mental health, the meeting turned into West's ranting.[M]uch as someone else, West may be just crazy enough to think for him, Carlson stated. Listen carefully to what he says. His ramblings contain flashes that are truthful, real insights into how the world is. He is dangerous to a system that relies almost exclusively on lies and piety. Kanye West should be beaten if you are a beneficiary of such a system.According to an interview Carlson gave Business Insider in 2017, Carlson said that he did not vote for Trump in 2016.So, I have never voted. He said that he didn't vote in this election and would never again. I am registered with the Democratic Party, a party I truly hate because it is a force for evil in this country. However, I am registered because I live there. It is a one-party state. The mayors race is the only election that I vote in because it matters. There is property I own and there are four of my children.Carlson was then living in Washington, D.C.'s Palisades neighborhood, where he voted for Hillary Clinton. In 2020, he sold his D.C. house for almost $4 million. He splits his time now between Florida and Maine.Carlsons comments on West are at odds with his personality on air: A pugnacious Trump backer, conservative thought leader, who opines often on immigration and the Covid-19 epidemic echoing former presidents controversial views.According to Ben Smith, a media reporter, Carlson is known for criticizing Trump privately. He described Carlson as the go-to journalist for sometimes-unflattering stories on Donald J. Trump in a New York Times column.Carlson is also known for sharing candid assessments with Trump. According to Michael Benders, Wall Street Journal reporter, Frankly, We Did Win this Election: The Inside Story about How Trump Lost, he reportedly told Trump last year that his debate performance wasn't good.Carlson has been a strong critic of President Joe Biden's administration since Trump was removed from office. He even accused the National Security Agency (NSA) of spying on him, leading to a rare denial by the NSA.Marc Caputo contributed to the report.
