Donald Trump declared Tucker Carlson “lost his way” after the two’s MAGA breakup following the U.S. attacks on Iran.
Major conservative voices like Carlson and Megyn Kelly have spoken out against Trump following the weekend’s strikes against Iran, which the president previously described as “massive and ongoing.” In response to their criticism, Trump didn’t mince his words, all but removing Carlson from the MAGA movement.
“Tucker has lost his way,” Trump said to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. “I knew that a long time ago, and he’s 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.”
Carlson told ABC News on Saturday that the attacks were “absolutely disgusting and evil,” a comment that followed his three separate Oval Office meetings with Trump. Per the New York Times, Carlson lobbied against military force amid concerns that U.S. soldiers would be put in harm’s way, as well as the implication that the country was following Israel’s demands.
Kelly also spoke out against the attack on her podcast, saying she didn’t understand the administration’s explanation for the strikes and had “serious doubts” about their necessity, arguing the soldiers died not for the U.S. but “for Iran or for Israel.”
Late Friday evening, Trump declared the United States military engaged in major combat operations in Iran, and vowed to eliminate those who “endanger” the country and its allies.
“A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran,” Trump said in a video message released on Truth Social. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard terrible people.”
He continued: “Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries.”
