QOTW: Hey Tucker, when did you last speak with JD Vance? No, really, when?

Tucker Carlson, left, and New York Times writer and co-host Lulu Garcia-Navarro, right, in a lengthy sit-down for the podcast The Interview. (YouTube/The Interview)

The set-up

On Saturday, the New York Times published a nearly two-hour long interview, conducted by The Interview host Lulu Garcia-Navarro, formerly of NPR News, with Tucker Carlson, the conservative media commentator. It was remarkable on many levels. First, its length: at one hour and 52 minutes, approximately twice as long as any previous episode. Second, its content: a sweeping conversation about President Donald J. Trump, the U.S. war with Iran, the future of the Republican Party, and Carlson’s opinions of Israel, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz and Nick Fuentes. Third: the number of words that Carlson could fit into a single response (see length, above.)

At about the 70-minute mark, Garcia-Navarro asks Carlson about Vice President JD Vance:

“I’d like to ask about your relationship with the vice president, because you were one of the people credited with getting him into that role. You were close to him. You advocated for him. Are you still close to Vance, considering your rupture with the president?”

His response, at 290 words, does a lot of things: asserts his love for Vance, takes issue with the word “rupture”, highlights the challenges of being a vice president and refers to his interview with Fuentes. He does not say whether he and Vance are still close.

So Garcia-Navarro circles back:

“You don’t talk to him anymore? When was the last time you spoke to the vice president?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Carlson replies. “But I wouldn’t want to add to his problems at all. I would just say what’s obvious, which is that I’m hardly an adviser to this administration. And I think it’s also clear that Donald Trump makes these decisions.”

She digs in:

“You really don’t know the last time you spoke to Vice President JD Vance? Weeks, months, days?”

The analysis

This is a perfect example of a confidential-question-repeat-question combination. Confidential questions are those whose answers are privileged. Questions about salaries, M&A plans, a privately owned company’s annual revenue or, as in this case, private correspondence with an elected official would all be considered confidential questions.

Repeat questions come when the answer to the confidential question is vague, evasive or unsatisfying.

In this case, Garcia-Navarro asks a very straightforward question about when Carlson last spoke to the vice president. Carlson, who until that point has been verbose and strongly opinionated, is suddenly vague and terse.

The advice

If a question is confidential, say so — and then offer something useful to guide the interview in a new direction. In many cases, the interviewer may not realize that their question is confidential and repeats their question hoping for an answer anyway.

In other cases, however, an interviewer repeats the question hoping the subject will give in and say more.

So when Carlson opens with “Oh, I don’t know,” Garcia-Navarro was having none of it.

Repeat questions can make a spokesperson or subject feel doubted and defensive. The best way to prevent them? Clarity.

Had he answered more clearly and definitively, it would have been easier to return to his original answer when the repeat questions came.

For example, “I don’t know when I last spoke to him. Regardless, I wouldn’t give any specifics about our conversation. What I know is that JD Vance is a very good man in a tough situation.” That’s a lot stronger — and a lot easier to reinforce — than “Oh, I don’t know.”

Either way, if faced with repeat questions, stay calm and stick to your first answer. If you give in and divulge more, the interviewer will know that you’re someone who just needs a bit of prodding before you’ll answer fully.

The answer

Carlson handles the repeat questions well:

“I don’t know. I mean, I would never characterize that. I don’t want to cause him more problems. I would just say I’m not advising. No one’s seeking my counsel. I’m not trying to influence anything. I gave it my best shot. Didn’t work.”

The only issue I have with this answer is the word “characterize.” Explain why you won’t answer using simple language and then move on. Keep it simple! Avoid any words that make a skeptic stop and think twice about whether your answer sounds true.

If you see or hear a question in the news that you’d like to see analyzed, let me know!