\n<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump is done with Tucker Carlson, declaring that the podcaster has \u201clost his way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump told ABC reporter Jon Karl on Thursday that Carlson was no longer MAGA, and that he\u2019s known this for a \u201clong time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTucker has lost his way,\u201d Trump said, according to Karl. \u201cI knew that a long time ago, and he\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlson has been an outspoken critic of Trump\u2019s strikes on Iran, saying that the operation is \u201cabsolutely disgusting and evil.\u201d Carlson has also claimed, without evidence, that the decision to launch strikes was driven by Chabad, a Jewish outreach organization.<\/p>\n
Carlson campaigned for Trump in 2024, but has been increasingly critical of the president, especially on foreign policy. Carlson, however, has made several visits to the White House in recent months, where he reportedly met with the president. Those meetings were reportedly part of a failed effort to convince the president not to strike Iran.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s statements represent a major change of heart since last November, when the president declined to criticize Carlson for his interview with antisemitic commentator Nick Fuentes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t tell him who to interview,\u201d the president said last November, adding that \u201cpeople are controversial.\u201d Trump, in that same interview, said Carlson had \u201csaid good things about me over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s comments are the president\u2019s harshest to date on Carlson, but not his first criticism. Earlier this week, Trump told reporter Rachael Bade that Carlson\u2019s criticism \u201chas no impact\u201d on him. He also hit commentator Megyn Kelly, saying she \u201cought to study her history book a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that MAGA is Trump \u2014 MAGA\u2019s not the other two,\u201d Trump told Bade, referring to Kelly and Carlson. \u201cMAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I\u2019m doing \u2014 every aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Polling supports the president\u2019s assessment, showing that a large majority of Republican voters<\/a> are in favor of Trump\u2019s actions in Iran. The margins increase when Trump\u2019s objectives are laid out to voters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n