Fired Up Tucker Carlson Hits Back in MAGA Civil War: ‘It’s All So Fake!’
Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson has fired back at MAGA figures upset that he
accused President Donald Trump of abandoning the “America First” movement.
Carlson, 56, ranted for 45 minutes on Steve Bannon’s show on Monday, attacking some of his former Fox News colleagues, Rupert Murdoch, and anyone who suggests he is anti-semitic for opposing U.S. support to Israel for its conflict with Iran.
“You’re not going to convince me that the Iranian people are my enemy,” Carlson said. “Again, we’re going down this here—here’s who you are required to hate. It’s Orwell, man. I’m a free man. You’re not telling me who I have to hate. I’ll decide who I like and don’t like.”
Carlson criticized Trump last week for being “complicit” in Israel’s attack on Iran. He suggested the president betrayed swing-state voters who elected him in part because he
promised to end U.S. involvement in wars abroad.
Carlson’s plea for Trump to “drop” support for Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, opened him up to intense criticism from his former colleagues, including the Fox News pundit Mark Levin.
A similar outcry came from many MAGA influencers, such as Laura Loomer, who has become
an unofficial adviser to Trump in MAGA 2.0.
“Can we stop pretending like
@TuckerCarlson is a true Trump supporter?” Loomer posted to X on Monday. “He has never publicly apologized for what he said about President Trump. He was fired by Fox News and then was terrified Trump would torpedo his career when the texts of him saying he ‘hates Trump’ came out... His fake it till you make it ‘support of Trump’ got his son a job working in the White House. This, of course, came after Tucker asked Hunter Biden to help his son get into college. Real story by the way. Look it up. Who cares about merit when you have Nepotism, Muslim investors, and Qatari cash flow? Ammiright?”
Levin wrote that Loomer’s screed was “well said.”
Carlson told Bannon that any suggestion he accepted cash from Qatar is a lie. He said he should be free to share his opinion on how taxpayer dollars are spent, even if that puts him at odds with MAGA hardliners.
“It’s all so fake,” he said of his detractors. “I’m not playing along.”
Carlson said the U.S. is “on the cusp of entering a war on behalf of a political leader in a faraway country that’s going to really hurt my country.” He invited others to speak out if they shared the same feelings.
“What I seek is an honest, open, transparent conversation about what we’re doing and why,” he said. “And I don’t think that’s too much to ask for, considering it’s my tax dollars and my money that you’re seeking to use to achieve it. If that’s radical, then you know, we’ve distorted the terms beyond recognition.”
Bannon, 71, occasionally chimed in during the interview, but did not take a side in the latest MAGA civil war. He was a
leading figure in the opposition to Elon Musk’s presence in the White House during the opening months of Trump’s second term.
Carlson occasionally got explicit while making his point.
“I just don’t want my country to be further weakened or destroyed by another one of these wars,” he said. “And boy, if you can’t connect the dots after 25 years of this s--t, you’re either too dumb to participate in the conversation, or you’re like Mark Levin, just a liar who doesn’t care.”
Carlson said he takes special exception to non-U.S. natives criticizing him on where America’s priorities lie.
“I really resent being told who my enemy is, especially with foreigners,” he said. “So a foreigner shows up and tells you who your enemies are. Really? I’ve been here a long time. I live across from my parents’ graves. You can’t tell me who America’s enemies are. Or, at least, I have a right to weigh in on that.”
Trump addressed Carlson’s criticisms over the weekend. He told
The Atlantic that it was not possible for him to abandon “America First” because he was the one who started the movement.
“Well, considering that I’m the one that developed ‘America First’ and considering that the term wasn’t used until I came along, I think I’m the one that decides that,” Trump said.
The president added, “For those people who say they want peace, you can’t have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon. So for all of those wonderful people who don’t want to do anything about Iran having a nuclear weapon—that’s not peace.”
Carlson said he wishes he could get “away” from the discourse involving him, Israel, and Iran. He said he only spoke out because he felt someone had to stand up for the silent majority of Republicans—by his estimation—who do not want to be pulled into another war in the Middle East.
“Why do we allow 3 percent of the participant, or the participants in this conversation, to define the terms?” he asked. “If you are OK with Iranian enrichment at all, you’re for the Ayatollah and you’re against Israel. What? Shut up. No, I’m not going to allow you to define the terms. You’re a total liar. I mean, these are liars—like, for real, will say anything.”
Still, Carlson insisted that he is an ally of Trump. He said he hopes the president heeds his advice on how to proceed in the Middle East.
“I would say to him, ‘You’re the only person who can bring peace,” Carlson said. “‘You should continue to try and do that. It’s difficult. It takes a long time, but your timetable is the only timetable that matters. Don’t get bum rushed. You don’t need to fix this because there’s political turmoil in [Netanyahu’s] coalition. It’s not relevant.’”
