PoliticsDonald Trump's Fury Towards Tucker Carlson Shakes MAGA Supporters to the Core
Donald Trump’s rift with Tucker Carlson deepened after he signaled support for military action in Iran.
June 19 2025, Published 4:37 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump faced unexpected backlash from his supporters as tensions rise between him and popular conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.
The fallout stemmed from Trump's perceived inclination to engage in military action alongside Israel amidst ongoing hostilities with Iran — a move that could alienate the very base he has courted for years.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump capitalized on anti-war sentiment, criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris for her partnerships with figures like Liz Cheney, whom he accused of wanting "war with every Muslim Country known to mankind."
Donald Trump criticized Tucker Carlson after the commentator warned against aligning with Israel amid the Iran conflict.
Despite Trump's history of supporting military engagement, many viewed his rejection of "forever wars" as a cornerstone of the MAGA movement. Some outlets suggested that his followers' war fatigue — not his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin — fueled their resistance to U.S. involvement in Ukraine.
Now, a new conflict has emerged, with Carlson and MAGA podcaster Steve Bannon urging Trump to avoid deploying U.S. military forces in coordination with Israel. Trump's apparent willingness to act contradicted that advice, prompting fierce backlash from Carlson and others. The Fox News anchor has voiced that such action would betray MAGA principles, escalating the tension between the two.
Carlson's comments on the conflict mark a significant turn, as he bluntly criticized Trump for being "complicit" in the escalating war.
Tucker Carlson said Donald Trump betrayed his supporters.
In a June 13 newsletter, Carlson said: "While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the U.S. at the center of last night's events," Carlson said, adding that America is "in deep."
He added: "They aided Israel in carrying them out. Politicians purporting to be America First can't now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with it."
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Rifts widened among Donald Trump’s network.
On Truth Social, Trump expressed his ire toward Carlson.
He said: "Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!"
He later doubled-down on the issue with reporters, stating, "I don't know what Tucker Carlson is saying."
The MAGA movement appears divided as Donald Trump lobbies Israeli-led airstrikes.
Trump further defended his post in a June 14 interview with The Atlantic, asserting that he decides what "America First" stood for.
"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," he said.
He continued: “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."
