Jacob Rees-Mogg accuses Tucker Carlson of ‘verging on defending Hitler’

Former Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has accused American commentator Tucker Carlson of "verging on defending Hitler" during a combative podcast interview filmed at the politician's home.

The extraordinary exchange, broadcast on The Tucker Carlson Show, saw the former Fox News host argue that Britain made a mistake by fighting in the Second World War, claiming the country "destroyed their empire and their country fighting this war that they still pretend was a good idea".

When Rees-Mogg countered that without Britain’s intervention "we’d all be speaking German," Carlson shrugged off the point.

"Who cares?" Carlson said. "There are a lot of people in Britain who can’t speak English. So it would be nice to have at least a European language spoken in your country."

The comment prompted a direct rebuke from Rees-Mogg, who served as a Tory minister before losing his parliamentary seat in 2024.

"I’m very surprised you’re verging on defending Hitler," Rees-Mogg told his guest. "I think this is not really what you want to be doing."

Carlson laughed off the accusation, replying: "I’m actually not a secret Nazi… and hardly a public Nazi." He claimed he was simply trying to "think clearly about cause and effect".

Is the Russian economy larger than the UK’s?

The debate also veered into a sharp disagreement over modern global economics. Carlson, who has previously faced criticism for his sympathetic stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed as fact that Russia has a "much larger economy" than Britain, with more wealth, resources, and a superior manufacturing sector.

Rees-Mogg quickly corrected him, pointing out that Russia is an "economic failure" whose economy is significantly smaller than Britain’s.

"Its GDP is smaller than the UK’s," Rees-Mogg said. "It’s about two-thirds."

According to official figures from the International Monetary Fund, the UK's gross domestic product stands at approximately £3.22 trillion ($4.26 trillion), while Russia’s is estimated at £2.01 trillion ($2.66 trillion). This is despite Russia having more than double the population of the United Kingdom.

Carlson attempted to downplay the significance of GDP as a metric, but Rees-Mogg argued Russia’s low GDP per capita was proof of deep systemic corruption.

How have politicians reacted to the interview?

The broadcast has drawn widespread condemnation from both sides of the Atlantic, particularly from conservative figures in the United States.

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, heavily criticised Carlson’s suggestions that Britain should have allowed the Nazis to take over Europe. Writing on social media, Huckabee asked if Carlson had forgotten that "Hitler murdered 11 million people" and suggested the broadcaster "needs help. Serious help."

Texas Senator Ted Cruz also rejected Carlson's thesis, writing: "Yes, Tucker, the UK is better off for winning WWII. America is better off for winning WWII. And the world would be much worse off if the Nazis had won WWII. This is not complicated."

In the UK, Conservative peer Lord Hannan of Kingsclere praised Rees-Mogg's handling of the economic claims, writing: "Mogg 1, Tucker 0." Hannan added that while Britain has economic difficulties, they pale in comparison to Putin's "bellicose kleptocracy".