Tucker Carlson’s Son Buckley Lands High-Profile Role on J.D. Vance’s Team

Buckley Carlson; J.D. Vance
Buckley Carlson and J.D. Vance. Photo: Legistorm; Bill Pugliano/Gett

Tucker Carlson‘s son is joining J.D. Vance‘s team in the Office of the Vice President.

Buckley Carlson, 28, has been hired as Vance’s deputy press secretary, sources confirmed to ABC News on Monday, Jan. 27.

The former Fox News personality’s only son has worked on Capitol Hill since 2019 — as a staff assistant, communications director, and deputy chief of staff to Indiana Republican Jim Banks.

J.D. Vance is sworn in as U.S. Vice President during the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States.
J.D. Vance takes the vice presidential oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025.Kevin Lamarque – Pool/Getty

In 2022, Republican Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota allegedly accused Buckley of securing his Capitol Hill roles due to nepotism.

At the time, the Daily Beast reported that an “anonymous GOP strategist” said of Banks, “Deep down, he dies to be liked by the Establishment. He hires Tucker Carlson’s son, a 24-year-old kid, to be his communications director.”

Axios then reported that Tucker, on a private phone call, berated Emmer for the statement. Donald Trump Jr. and Marjorie Taylor Greene reportedly came to Tucker’s aid and defended Buckley from the claim.

Tucker Carlson, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) appear on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and Mike Johnson.Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Buckley’s father, Tucker, is a far-right media personality and has long been at the center of a number of controversies.

Tucker has received repeated backlash, often for making unsubstantiated claims. In 2018, he suggested that immigrants make the United States “poorer and dirtier.” In 2021, he was accused of spreading election misinformation in a high-profile lawsuit against Fox News. In 2023, he said the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was “mostly peaceful chaos.”

Tucker abruptly left Fox News in April 2023 amid tension with the network.

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Just hours after ABC confirmed Buckley’s new role, Tucker once again made headlines.

Politico reported that the former Fox News personality claimed, without evidence, that former President Joe Biden‘s administration tried to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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