Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, has taken to Twitter to criticize Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida for not publicly commenting on the recent departure of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson from the conservative network.
The star pundit's exit came just days after Fox News agreed to a staggering $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems regarding false claims about election fraud made by various personalities associated with the network during and following the 2020 Presidential Election.
In his tweet, Trump Jr. accused Governor DeSantis of being afraid of former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who serves as a member of the board of directors for Fox Corporation, which owns and operates Fox News Channel.
"Gov @RonDeSantisFL why are you silent on #TuckerCarlson leaving @FoxNews? Are you scared to upset Paul Ryan?" tweeted Donald Trump Jr.
The public call-out was met with mixed reactions from social media users. Many criticized him, arguing that it wasn't appropriate or necessary for a governor to comment on every news event involving political commentators or networks' personnel changes.
However, some Twitter users praised Trump Jr.'s move and expressed appreciation for drawing attention towards what they perceived as an important issue - particularly in light of how influential figures like Tucker Carlson can be among conservative voters and activists nationwide.
One such supporter was Jane Thompson (43), who wrote: "Thank you @DonaldJTrumpJr! It is crucial that our leaders stand up against bias & manipulation within mainstream media!"
On the other hand, detractors questioned why this particular issue merited any involvement from state-level politicians at all.
"It's baffling how much importance people place on something like this," commented David Johnson (29). "Governor DeSantis has more pressing issues to deal with than commenting on someone leaving a TV network."
As of now, Governor DeSantis has not responded to Trump Jr.'s tweet or issued any public statement regarding Tucker Carlson's departure from Fox News.