Fox News host Shepard Smith says 'white nationalism is real,' Tucker Carlson takes vacation

Unlike fellow Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who declared Tuesday white supremacy is “not a real problem” in America, Shepard Smith says the issue is "without question a very serious problem."

Smith on Wednesday, commenting on Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden's speech delivered in Iowa, delivered a counter point. Smith said the former veep marked "the unmistakable rise of white nationalism and white racism in America, and saying that, as president, he will work to fight against it, calling us to our better souls, to recognize that white nationalism is real, that white nationalism is on the rise, that white nationalism is without question a very serious problem in America and beating down those who would help facilitate it and encourage it, because they are an enormous part of the problem."

Carlson addressed the subject during “Tucker Carlson Tonight" Tuesday, saying white supremacy is “not a real problem” in the United States.

“This is a hoax. Just like the Russia hoax, it’s a conspiracy theory used to divide the country and keep a hold on power,” he said.

Carlson argued that President Donald Trump’s condemnation of white supremacy was unnecessary because the number of people who are members of white supremacist groups in the U.S., like the KKK, could "fit inside a football stadium."

Tucker Carlson says white supremacy is ‘not a real problem in America’

Shepard Smith says another mass shooting will 'happen yet again in America'

On Wednesday's Carlson presented a "sincere message" on the air acknowledging the presence of racism but denying America is "a white supremacist country."

"Please, for the sake of the nation, calm down," Carlson began. "Yes, America has problems – yes, racism is one of America’s problems, but so is a fading middle class, so is a terrifying drug epidemic... so is a national debt... These are huge problems, and people know that.

"People know their country is in decline, and it's making them turn to new political leaders," he continued. "Donald Trump was one of those new leaders, Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are a couple of others. This is a time of frustration, and it's a time of change.

"It’s a hard time for America, but this country is not on the brink of genocide – it’s not even close to that," Carlson went on. "This is not a white supremacist country plotting the slaughter of its own people. It’s a kind country, full of decent people of all races, who, like all people everywhere, make bad decisions from time to time. But they mean well, and they generally try their best. So going forward, give them the benefit of the doubt. Even when you disagree with them. Maybe especially when you disagree with them. These are your fellow Americans. Cut them a break. They deserve it, and remember, the alternative is disaster.”

Tucker Carlson called Cory Booker one of 'whitest candidates' among 2020 Democrats

Before signing off for the evening, Carlson stated he would be taking a previously unannounced break from his program.

"I am taking several days off, headed to the wilderness to fish with my son, catch some Brook trout," the dad of three daughters and one son shared. "Politics is important; fishing with your son (is) sometimes more important."

Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez

Stephen Colbert: 'Republicans in Congress would rather maintain their power than save lives'

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tucker Carlson's Fox News colleague Shepard Smith on white nationalism