Fox News' Tucker Carlson ceaselessly interrogates Democratic congressman over ObamaCare 'failure'

Fox News host Tucker Carlson tried for nearly 10 minutes Wednesday night on his show Tucker Carlson Tonight to get Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) to admit that ObamaCare really isn't that great. Though Himes conceded that the public "has never fully embraced" President Obama's signature health care plan, the Democratic congressman adamantly defended the elements of it that have been successful — like the increase in coverage rates and the fact that kids can now stay on their parents' plan until they're 26 years old. "If you list the five or six things that are core to ObamaCare, people love it," Himes said. "The problem is, of course, for seven years they've been told it's evil."
But Carlson wasn't about to believe that "people don't love it because they've been lied to" by Republicans. "You're saying that the public loves ObamaCare, but you're also conceding that they don't actually love ObamaCare because it's never really gotten above 50 percent [approval]. A law that has transformed the life of every person in the country that does not have majority support nationally, that itself is a failure, isn't it?" Carlson said. Himes pointed out some states that haven't expanded Medicaid, which means some people have yet to reap the health care plan's benefits, and that public perception — especially around something as "complicated" as health care — will naturally fluctuate.
Neither ends up budging, with the conversation eventually veering into whether Carlson's 22-year-old son should really have to pay for maternity care. Watch the argument unfold below. Becca Stanek
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
June 22 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a SpaceX flight, Bibi pulling Donald Trump toward war, and an ICE agent looking like a bank robber
-
5 bunker-busting cartoons about the Israel-Iran war
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on Iran waiting for Pete Hegseth to leak war plans and Donald Trump's wish for a Nobel prize
-
Malaysia's delicious food and glorious beaches
The Week Recommends From 'colourful' George Town to the 'jungled interior' of Langkawi, Malaysia is incredibly diverse
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments