Tucker Carlson laid into Jared Kushner, blaming him for a protest response that makes Trump show 'weakness'

• Tucker Carlson made a rare attack on the Trump administration on Monday night, saying the president showed "weakness" in his response to protests over George Floyd's death.
• But the Fox News host largely blamed Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, for the White House's response.
• He said "liberal" Kushner had held back Trump's "instincts" to crack down on the increasingly violent protests, saying: "No one has more contempt for Donald Trump's voters than Jared Kushner does."

Tucker Carlson has launched a rare attack on White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, saying he was holding back President Donald Trump's "instincts" to crack down on increasingly violent protest over George Floyd's death.

In a rare rebuke of the Trump administration, said Trump's response to the protests showed "weakness" and blamed it on Kushner, whom he called "liberal."

"Several times over the past few days the president has signalled that he would very much like to crack down on rioters. That is his instinct," said Carlson, adding: "But every time he has been talked out of it by Jared Kushner."

"No one has more contempt for Donald Trump's voters than Jared Kushner does," he added.

Carlson — who serves as an informal adviser to the president — added that Kushner has been "highly aggressive" in persuading the president to temper his response on issues like foreign policy, prison reform and law and order.

Over the past week, as protests spread nationwide and became increasingly violent, Trump expressed sympathy with Floyd's family but pledged a bullish response to protest violence.

On Monday night, he said would send in the military to quash protests if state governors cannot keep order.

And on May 29, he posted a widely-criticized tweet about violence associated with the protests, saying: "when the looting starts, the shooting starts!"

But Carlson said Trump looked like he was unable to protect the country from the protests.

Carlson also scoffed at the notion of peaceful protesters.

"Who are you talking about exactly?" Carlson said. "Is it the people spitting foam as they scream 'F the police?' Is it the ones standing next to arsonists, doing nothing as they set fire to buildings? Is it the kids laughing as they film the looting and the beatings on their iPhones?"

Carlson also cited the example of a Fox News reporter being chased away by protesters in Washington, DC's Lafayette Square — which is opposite the White House — on Monday night.

"If you can't keep a Fox News correspondent from being attacked directly across from your house, how can you protect my family? How can you protect the country? How hard are you trying?"

Carlson added that Trump's tweet over the weekend assuring the country that he was safe, as published above, was the sign of a man who "seemed aware only of himself," said Carlson.

"The first requirement of leadership is that you watch over the people," said Carlson. He then drew comparisons to Emperor Nero, who "abandoned his nation at a time of crisis."

"If you can't protect [people] — or worse than that, if you seem like you cannot be bothered to protect them — then you're done. It's over. People will not forgive weakness."