What was your first impression when you met Vladimir Putin for the interview?
Tucker Carlson
(00:03:58) I thought he seemed nervous, and I was very surprised by that. And I thought he seemed like someone who’d overthought it a little bit, who had a plan, and I don’t think that’s the right way to go into any interview. My strong sense, having done a lot of them for a long time, is that it’s better to know what you think, to say as much as you can honestly, so you don’t get confused by your own lies, and just to be yourself. And I thought that he went into it like an over-prepared student, and I kept thinking, “Why is he nervous?”
In totalitarian countries the press is afraid of leaders. In free countries politicians are afraid of the press. I'm betting Putin also spent too long on his answers.