Trump: Tucker Carlson has lost his way

President Trump derides far-right podcaster and former ally Tucker Carlson over criticism of Iran conflict, saying Carlson is “not smart enough to understand” the MAGA movement.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

President Donald Trump called out far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson last week, denouncing his erstwhile ally after Carlson sharply condemned Trump’s decision to strike Iran.

“Tucker has lost his way,” Trump told ABC News in an interview published last Thursday. “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.”

Carlson, a former Fox News host whose eponymous, independently produced online show has over 17 million subscribers on X, castigated Trump over Operation Epic Fury on February 28, calling the attacks on Iran “absolutely disgusting and evil.”

On Saturday, Carlson responded to Trump’s criticism, claiming that he had tried to speak with the president but was rebuffed.

“I flew up to DC three times in the last month to try to convince Trump not to do this,” Carlson said on the latest episode of his show. “It didn’t work. It happens.

“I’m looking at this and I’m thinking, ‘Boy, this is not going to get better.’ So, then I think I’ll fly up again and ask him.”

Carlson said that he urged Trump to declare victory and unilaterally end American strikes.

“Like, you killed an 86-year-old cleric. Let’s just call that a win and then pull back.

“Then, in the meantime, he got convinced to denounce me. OK, I don’t care. I’m going to fly up anyway and see him, right? Even though he’s, like, denouncing me. So, I call…someone who knows him to see. I said I’m just going to fly up anyway and tell him this because I think it’s so important. And the person says, ‘Don’t bother, because he’s being shown polling that this war is like a 90-10 win for him.'”

This is not the first time the two publicly disagreed over Iran policy.

Following the one-day American air campaign against Iran’s nuclear program in June 2025, Trump blasted Carlson for criticizing the strikes, calling the online influencer “kooky Carlson.”