Who invited Tucker Carlson to the White House?

Vance has repeatedly defended Carlson publicly, and Carlson’s son, Buckley, currently serves as an aide in the vice president’s press office.

By World Israel News Staff

Controversial conservative commentator Tucker Carlson was spotted inside the White House on Friday during a meeting between President Donald Trump and oil executives, raising questions over who authorized his presence at the closed-door event.

Carlson, the former Fox News host turned podcaster, was seen standing along the East Room wall as Trump entered, applauding and lingering among invited guests while the president outlined his administration’s strategy to secure major investment in Venezuelan oil production.

According to The Associated Press, Carlson arrived at the White House earlier in the day for lunch and later remained for the meeting.

Carlson’s appearance prompted sharp criticism from conservative activist Laura Loomer, who questioned how a vocal critic of U.S. foreign intervention was allowed to attend a sensitive policy discussion.

“I was told that Tucker Carlson was at the White House for a lunch and he overstayed and crashed the Venezuelan oil license meeting,” Loomer wrote on X, adding that she wanted to know which office approved his access and submitted the required WAVES entry form.

On Sunday, Loomer escalated her criticism, pushing back against claims that Carlson had been invited by the president. She said she had confirmed with the White House that Trump was not responsible for Carlson’s invitation and suggested the access instead came through the vice president’s office.

“Why is Tucker Carlson embarrassed to say that he was invited to the White House by the Vice President?” Loomer wrote. “Why is Tucker lying and saying Trump invited him? He didn’t. Trump 100% isn’t the person who invited Tucker. The White House just confirmed this to me.”

Loomer added that she hoped the matter would become public, accusing Carlson of attempting to “create division in the GOP.”

While Carlson has criticized Trump in the past—most notably last June, when he accused the president of being “complicit” in backing Israel’s strikes against Iran and opposed U.S. involvement in the resulting escalation—his relationship with Vice President Vance has remained notably close.

Vance has repeatedly defended Carlson publicly, and Carlson’s son, Buckley, currently serves as an aide in the vice president’s press office.

Carlson’s continued proximity to senior administration figures has drawn increased scrutiny given his increasingly long record of antisemitic and anti-Israel commentary, which recently culminated in his being named “Antisemite of the Year” by the Jewish civil rights group StopAntisemitism, citing his repeated promotion of figures and narratives associated with extremist and antisemitic views.

Against that backdrop, Carlson’s unexplained presence inside a high-level White House meeting has intensified speculation over who facilitated his access—and why.