The phrase “at least Mussolini made the trains run on time” is a common saying among those looking to defend Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, whose fascist regime ruled the country with an iron fist from 1925 to 1943. Now, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is being accused of making a similar excuse in defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following his interview with Putin in Moscow this month, Carlson has continued to upload content praising the country over his own. Carlson took a particular interest in the capital city’s subway station, which he argued was vastly superior to any in the U.S.
“There’s no graffiti. There’s no filth. There are no foul smells,” Carlson said. “There are no bums or drug addicts or rapists or people waiting to push you onto the train tracks and kill you. No, it’s perfectly clean and orderly.”
Although Carlson assured his audience that his praise was in no way a defense of Putin or former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, who oversaw the construction of the public transport method, critics felt otherwise.
“Watching Tucker Carlson praise Russian public transport as Putin’s army commits genocide in Ukraine has massive ‘at least Mussolini made the trains run on time’ vibes,” one user wrote.
Others pointed to the fact that totalitarian governments, such as the one in North Korea, have long invested heavily in opulent train stations in order to overshadow the suffering of the public.
“Because, clearly, a fancy subway station in Moscow is a perfect representation of the entire country, and not just a Potemkin village designed to distract from the rampant corruption and human rights abuses,” another added.
Numerous users also pointed to train stations in the U.S. that are well known for their architecture and beauty, while noting that a country cannot be judged based off of that alone.
“Neither Tucker nor any of his viewers have been to Grand Central, the Oculus at the WTC, Moynihan Train Hall, DC Union Station, Hudson Yards 7 station, 96th street / 2nd Ave, or even Warwick RI’s train station?” one user asked.
Many supporters of Carlson, however, appeared to agree with the sentiment that the Moscow subway station was nicer than those in their own countries.
“Does your city’s transit system look like this?” another questioned. “Toronto’s certainly doesn’t.“
Despite the claim regarding Mussolini, history suggests that the trains in Italy were not as smooth as the regime’s defenders allege.
And while there is no issue with comparing countries’ infrastructure, Carlson has been accused of being a “useful idiot” for his coverage of Russia.
