President Donald Trump has expelled Tucker Carlson from the MAGA movement, declaring the conservative podcaster has “lost his way” after Carlson sharply criticized the administration’s military strikes against Iran.
The dramatic rebuke came Thursday during an interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, where Trump questioned Carlson’s intelligence and commitment to America First principles following the ex-Fox News host’s condemnation of Operation Epic Fury.
Trump dismissed Carlson as insufficiently smart and no longer aligned with his movement. The president told Karl that MAGA means “saving our country” and “America first,” adding that “Tucker is none of those things.”
The rift marks a stunning reversal for Carlson, who enjoyed privileged access to Trump during his first administration and delivered a primetime address at the 2024 Republican National Convention. The podcaster met with Trump at the White House numerous times and was considered one of the most influential voices in the MAGA coalition.
Carlson called the Iran strikes “absolutely disgusting and evil” and challenged the administration’s justification for the military campaign on his Monday podcast. He argued the conflict serves Israeli rather than American interests, stating the war wasn’t being waged to make the United States “safer or richer” and questioning claims about weapons of mass destruction.
The U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran, launched Saturday, has become increasingly controversial as it enters its eleventh day. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the day would feature “the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes,” while Admiral Brad Cooper, who commands U.S. Central Command, said the goal was to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten Americans.
Despite Trump’s Thursday victory lap where he claimed people were “loving” the operation and that Iran would be “decimated for a 10-year period before they could build it back,” multiple polls tell a different story. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found only one in four Americans support the strikes, with about half believing Trump was too willing to use military force.
A Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies poll conducted for NBC News revealed 54 percent of American voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the situation, while six in 10 said the president lacked a clear plan. Another poll showed 52 percent believed the U.S. should not have taken military action against Iran, and 62 percent said Trump should get congressional approval before launching further strikes.
The military operation has resulted in more than 30 Iranian Navy ships sunk or destroyed. The Human Rights Activists News Agency puts the civilian death toll at 1,168.
Carlson responded to Trump’s comments by telling Status’s Oliver Darcy he gets “annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included,” but added he would “always love him no matter what he says about me.”
Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has also broken with Trump over Iran, posting inflammatory criticism on social media. Greene wrote on X that the administration was “a bunch of sick f–king liars” and declared, “We voted for America First and ZERO wars.”
Greene went further Thursday, declaring her support for Carlson and claiming Trump “doesn’t even know what MAGA is anymore” and has become “donor first” rather than America First. She suggested Carlson would defeat Trump if the president attempted to run for a constitutionally prohibited third term.
Trump supporters remain divided. Right-wing activist Laura Loomer attacked Carlson as “actively running interference for the Iranian regime” and called him “a massive liability to the President.” Republican Congressman Randy Fine sided with Trump, writing on X that he agreed “Tucker Carlson is not MAGA.”
Other prominent Republicans rallied behind the military action. Senator Lindsey Graham has been among the most vocal supporters, calling the operation “necessary and long justified” and predicting the Iranian regime’s collapse. In a rare bipartisan endorsement, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania wrote Saturday that “President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller defended the administration’s interpretation of America First, arguing it means America will be “the greatest, most unquestioned, unmatched power in the world” and requires defending American lives with military might.
The fracture between Trump and Carlson exposes deeper tensions within the MAGA movement over what America First actually means, particularly regarding foreign military intervention. Trump campaigned in 2024 on avoiding new wars, declaring in his election victory speech that he would stop wars rather than start them.
As the conflict escalates and American casualties mount—now at seven service members killed—the debate over whether Operation Epic Fury aligns with or betrays core MAGA principles continues to divide the movement’s most influential voices.
