Conservative columnist Ann Coulter has taken Scandinavian television by storm as she managed to express nearly all of the unpopular and taboo viewpoints on immigration and feminism in a joint prime time show aired by Swedish and Norwegian national broadcasters SVT and NRK.
When Norwegian host Fredrik Skavlan inquired whether Coulter considered herself a feminist (which is almost a given in Sweden, whose outgoing government billed itself "feminist"), she replied "Gosh, no."
"Well, I don't know what it means in Europe, but in this country it tends to mean, well, an angry man-hating lesbian," Coulter said.
After a short silence, and a strong reaction from the audience, an astonished Skavlan countered that it is not true, to which Coulter answered, "It sure is." Coulter even went so far as to suggest that granting all women the right to vote hasn't proved that good for society, an idea that a puzzled Skavlan called "incredibly interesting."
READ MORE: Swedes Sneer as Men Are Welcome to Personify Female Saint
Coulter also expressed her criticism of "the Swamp," a term popularized by Donald Trump referring to the collusion between politicians and the mainstream media. Coulter hailed Trump's attempts to "drain the swamp," comparing the US President's handling of what he refers to as "fake news media" with a necessary "cancer treatment." At the same time, she was disappointed that Trump has so far failed to deliver on all his promises, such as building a wall between the United States and Mexico and bringing back all the US soldiers from Afghanistan.
Lastly, Coulter dwelled on the negative consequences of immigration, which according to her, drives down the wages for the native population, especially the poor. When Skavlan retorted that Coulter's views were "strange" for Scandinavians and told her she "wouldn't last five minutes in Sweden," Coulter stressed that proponents of diversity were trying to wipe out all cultures, making every one of them look the same. Skavlan made a point that the US itself is "based on immigration," to which Coulter replied that her country was a former British colony built on freedom and nothing else.
READ MORE: First Somali Swedish Lawmaker Triggers Debate About Tribalism, 'Ethnic Voting'
Coulter's performance triggered strong reactions in Sweden. On Flashback, Sweden's most popular forum, users ventured that Coulter "couldn't possibly be a woman" as she called women's right to vote a "failed experiment."
User Gerd Zeiler claimed he was "disgusted" that Skavlan gave Coulter a platform to spread her "racist views," to which another user answered that he interrupted her all the time in a rude manner.
I'm disgusted that #skavlan invited ann coulter and gave her a platform to spread her racist views.
— Gerd Zeiler (@GerdZeiler) 6 октября 2018 г.
Others interpreted Skavlan's cryptic statement that Coulter "won't last five minutes in Sweden" as a disguised threat from the left-wing media.
At the same time, Coulter received a lot of praise for her "brilliance" and "wisdom." Many also opined that she "completely owned" Skavlan.
@CassandraRules when @AnnCoulter gets invited to #Skavlan and completely OWNS the show ✌️😂 pic.twitter.com/NIcQD4CTjn
— joriḑ̂îc̠ͤ̚ulous❄️ (@PunkleJones) 7 октября 2018 г.
Coulter's take on feminism didn't go unnoticed either.
#Skavlan to @AnnCoulter:
— Christian Wallgren 🔫 🇸🇪 🇧🇿 🐘 (@chrwallg) 5 октября 2018 г.
S: Are you a feminist?
C: Oh gosh, no. I'm sorry.
S: Why is that?
C: Well, I don't know what it means in Europe, but in this country it tends to mean, well, an angry man-hating lesbian.
Spot on, Ann. It's the same everywhere 😎👌#svpol #fempol #genus
Skavlan is one of Europe's largest and longest running talk shows, offering interviews with some of the world's most well-known personalities, politicians and celebrities. Airing primetime on Friday evenings and fronted by Fredrik Skavlan, the program has a combined audience of 3 million viewers per show.
