President Donald Trump delivered a sharp rebuke of former ally Tucker Carlson during a Thursday interview, declaring that the once-vocal supporter is no longer aligned with the MAGA movement following Carlson’s criticism of the administration’s military strikes on Iran.
Speaking with ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl, Trump made clear that he believes Carlson has drifted away from the principles that define the Make America Great Again movement.
“Tucker has lost his way,” Trump said in the interview. “I knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA.”
The president went on to emphasize what he believes the movement represents, portraying it as a driving force behind his political agenda and policies.
“MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first,” Trump said. “And Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that.”
The remarks come after Carlson publicly condemned the Trump administration’s recent strikes against Iran, which were carried out as part of a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation. Carlson sharply criticized the decision, calling the action “absolutely disgusting and evil.”
The conservative commentator has also voiced criticism of the administration on several other issues in recent months, including the handling of the Epstein files and the war in Ukraine.
Despite the backlash from Carlson and some other commentators, Trump has continued to defend the military operation in Iran and describe it as a major success.
During the same interview with Karl, the president said the strikes had significantly weakened Iran’s capabilities.
“They are decimated for a 10-year period before they could build it back,” Trump said when discussing the impact of the operation.
Trump’s interview with ABC was one of several conversations he held with media outlets Thursday in which he maintained that the strikes were successful and broadly supported by the public. According to the president, the response from supporters has been overwhelmingly positive.
He insisted that many Americans are backing the decision, saying people are “loving it,” even as some polls have suggested a more mixed reaction among the broader public.
Carlson, however, suggested that the decision to strike Iran could have major consequences for Trump’s political movement.
In a separate interview with Karl, Carlson said the move would “shuffle the deck in a profound way” when it comes to the future direction of the MAGA coalition.
The tension between the two figures has been building for weeks. Carlson reportedly visited the White House multiple times last month in an effort to persuade Trump not to move forward with military action against Iran.
Despite Carlson’s lobbying and criticism, Trump has remained firm in defending the operation and dismissing the pushback from critics within conservative circles.
The president previously said that Carlson’s criticism had no impact on him.
Trump also addressed the broader disagreement within the conservative media landscape, referencing both Carlson and another commentator who has questioned the Iran strikes.
“I think that MAGA is Trump — MAGA’s not the other two,” the president said, referring to Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
Trump reiterated that he believes the MAGA movement supports the direction he is taking, particularly when it comes to national security decisions.
“MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe,” he said. “And MAGA loves what I’m doing — every aspect of it.”
Trump concluded by describing the military action against Iran as a necessary step, framing it as part of a larger effort to protect both the United States and its allies.
“This is a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly,” he said.
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