U.S. — In an explosive new interview, Tucker Carlson laid into Senator Ted Cruz for not knowing the name of the Iranian Ayatollah's favorite starter Pokémon.
The interview ranged in topics from Iran to Ukraine, but the most damning moment was when Carlson stumped Cruz with a simple question about Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's favorite starter.
"What's the favorite starter Pokémon of the ayatollah, by the way?" Tucker asked 90 minutes into their 2-hour interview.
Cruz, visibly caught off guard, was forced to admit he didn't know.
"At all?" Tucker pressed, incredulous. "You don't know the favorite starter Pokémon of the supreme leader you're trying to overthrow?"
Khamenei, an avid Pokémon fan, traditionally chooses fire-type Pokémon. In Pokémon Red he went with Charmander, but his absolute favorite is Chimchar, which first appeared in Pokémon Diamond/Pearl.
"How can you not know that?" Carlson asked.
"I don't sit around memorizing the favorite starter Pokémon of world leaders," Cruz said.
The interview got heated from there as Cruz and Carlson went at each other, accusing each of not knowing enough about Pokémon.
CRUZ: Why is it relevant whether his favorite Pokémon starter is Bulbasaur or Squirtle or —
CARLSON: Because you don't know anything about the man.
CRUZ: I didn't say I don't know anything about him.
CARLSON: What's his favorite region?
CRUZ: Uh, it's Sinnoh.
CARLSON: Which game does that appear in?
CRUZ: Okay, look...
CARLSON: You don't know anything about Pokémon! You're calling for the end of the Ayatollah and you don't know his favorite starter!
CRUZ: No, you don't know anything about Pokémon. You think "Let's Go Pikachu" is a good game.
CARLSON: It is a good game!
Though the interview descended into a shouting match, it ended amicably with Carlson thanking Cruz for his time. But the exchange of obscure Pokémon facts raises serious questions about how much the American government really knows about Iran and the Pokémon they collect.
At publishing time, Senator Ted Cruz removed Tucker Carlson as a friend on his Nintendo account, essentially blocking him from ever trading Pokémon with him ever again.
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