President Trump is publicly breaking with Tucker Carlson after the conservative commentator strongly criticized the recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
In an interview Thursday with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, Trump made it clear he no longer sees Carlson as part of the Make America Great Again movement.
“Tucker has lost his way,” the commander-in-chief said. “I knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that”, reported The Wrap.
The sharp remarks came after Carlson condemned the military strikes against Iran. The former Fox News host, who now runs a podcast, described the attacks as “absolutely disgusting and evil.”
Carlson has also been openly critical of the Trump administration on several other issues in recent months, including questions surrounding the Epstein files and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
For years, Carlson had been considered closely aligned with Trump and the MAGA movement. He met with Trump multiple times at the White House during the president’s previous administration and was even invited to speak in primetime at the Republican National Convention in 2024.
Now, Trump appears to be distancing himself from the longtime conservative media figure. While dismissing Carlson’s criticism, Trump also defended the military operation against Iran and described it as a major success. According to the president, the strikes significantly weakened Iran’s capabilities.
“They are decimated for a 10 year period before they could build it back,” Trump said. He also claimed the operation had broad support among Americans, saying people have been “loving it,” though polling on the issue has shown mixed reactions.
Carlson is not the only prominent figure on the political right who has recently clashed with Trump over the Iran strikes.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has also been highly critical of the administration’s decisions in recent weeks. The Georgia Republican blasted the president over both the Iran attack and the handling of the Epstein files.
“The Trump admin actually asked in a poll how many casualties voters were willing to accept in a war with Iran??? How about ZERO you bunch of sick f–king liars,” Greene wrote in a recent post on X. “We voted for America First and ZERO wars.”
Greene has accused Trump of backing away from campaign promises to avoid new foreign conflicts, continuing a string of public criticisms aimed at the president.
Trump has responded to Greene’s attacks in the past and has not been shy about expressing frustration with the outspoken lawmaker. Last year he even described her decision to leave Congress as “great news” for the United States.
Despite the criticism from some conservatives, many Republicans have rallied behind Trump’s decision to launch the military operation. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina praised the move on social media, saying the strikes could have major consequences for Iran.
“The end of the largest state sponsor of terrorism is upon us. God bless President Trump, our military and our allies in Israel,” Graham wrote.
Support for the operation has even crossed party lines in some cases. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania offered rare Democratic praise for the president’s decision. “President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” he said Saturday.
The debate over the Iran strikes continues to divide political figures on both sides of the aisle, but Trump has made it clear he stands firmly behind the decision and is ready to push back against critics, even those who once stood close to his movement.