Monday 26 September 2022 03:35 AM Tucker Carlson turns up to pay tribute to Hells Angels leader Sonny Barger trends now

Tucker Carlson turned up at the funeral of Hells Angels leader funeral Sonny Barger Saturday, and delivered an impassioned speech in honor of the fallen societal figure.

Carlson, 53, was one of more than 7,000 gathered at the Stockton 99 Speedway to pay respects to the fallen Ralph 'Sonny' Barger, who died in June following a brief battle with throat cancer, aged 83.

Thousands turned out on two wheels for Barger's six-hour service - despite for years him bringing fear into the hearts of housewives and miscreants alike as the head of a group that is still considered an organized crime syndicate by the US government. 

It was an event the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office warned Friday could become dangerous - but the hulking, leather-clad mourners in attendance stayed peaceful, crying, and sharing stories of how they remembered the gang's longtime leader.

Of those to deliver a stirring tribute to the Modesto native - who moved to the Bay Area as a child before the area was overrun by a dangerous wave of crime - was Carlson, who in the past had expressed his admiration for Barger's no-nonsense, patriotic ideals.

Arriving in a button-down shit amid a sea of bare chests and leather vests, Carlson took to the podium and delivered a heartfelt tribute to Barger, offering an anecdote about the late gang leader and a letter he left to his widow that the Fox News host said perfectly encapsulate his - and the quintessential American's - values.

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'Sonny Barger died in his home state of California. He was 83 years old,' Carlson began, addressing thousands in the crowd.

'When he died, his letter to his wife and friends was released, and my college roommate was also a Harley-Davidson fan sent it to me.'

The famously outspoken host of Tucker Carlson Tonight continued: 'We'd always been fans of Sonny Barger, but I didn't know what his personal views were apart from representing the club.

'And the letter,' Carlson said, trying to recall the contents of the note, 'if I can summarize it from memory, was: 'Always stand tall, stay loyal... remain free, and always value honor.'

While remembering the motorcycle club boss' supposed credo, Carlson paused at a point, clutching his chest in a fit of emotion. He to the crowd, 'Ah, it made me emotional reading it.'

The Fox News host, however, pressed on, repeating the mantra to those in attendance, asserting that the phrase served as his own personal creed that he continued to live by. 

'Stand tall, stay loyal, remain free, and always value honor,' Carlson said, before thinking to himself and taking another emotional pause. 'And I thought to myself, if there is a phrase that sums up more perfectly what I want to be, what I aspire to be, and the kind of man I respect.'

'I can't think of a phrase that sums it up more perfectly than that,' the host proclaimed, later posing with some of the Hells Angels in attendance.

The talking head proceeded to pan detractors who criticized Barger's rough-and-tough image, while slamming the left and seemingly the Biden Administration for supplanting ideals expressed by Barger and other likeminded Americans.

'And I thought that, that's the outlaw biker that every mom in my neighborhood was scared shitless of as a child,' Carlson said, sharking his head in disapproval.

'That's Sonny Barger's world view?' Carlson continued, appealing to those in attendance.

He then asked, growing increasingly animated: 'Why aren't we hearing that from the people who run the country? Why is it left to Sonny Barger to say, "Stand tall, stay loyal, remain free, and always value honor?"  

'The president of the United States should be saying that - every single morning as he salutes the flag - but only Sunny Barger is saying it,' Carlson continued.

'And I thought to myself, "I want to pay tribute to the man who spoke those words."' 

Carlson would go on to offer a heartfelt signoff that saw him tout how he dropped his fulltime broadcasting responsibilities to attend the procession, which was held Saturday from 2 pm to 8 pm at the 99 Speedway on North Wilson Way.

'When I was invited to this funeral, I cleared my schedule, and I thought, 'I don't care how hard it is to get from Maine to Stockton - I'm going. And I'm here. And I'm honored to be here,' Carlson told the crowd, before offering a characteristic signoff.

'Thank you for having me, and I hope that you continue to represent those views. Amen.'

The surprisingly touching tribute from Carlson echoed that of dozens of other eulogies delivered for the late Barger, who is credited with creating the first Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels in 1957.

Carlson himself even dedicated a portion of his broadcast to the late leader the day of his death - a tribute that also saw him mention Barger's mantra as detailed in the note to his wife, Zorana, 63.

Thousands of bikers and members of the group - which rose to prominence in the 60s under Barger and other members of the now 3,500 strong group, which has a hazy history as to whether it was a group of likeminded individuals bound by brotherhood, or a violent criminal syndicate with footholds all across the nation.

Barger moved to Oakland, California, as a child and was suspended from school for slapping a teacher. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army at 16 after forging his birth certificate.

He was kicked out with an honorable discharge in 1956 when his deception was discovered and was drawn to the oil-stained world of the so-called 'one-percenters' - a term coined by the American Motorcycle Association to describe the tiny minority of bikers they deemed troublemakers.

'I wanted to live my life the way I wanted to live it,'

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