Tucker Carlson, previously among President Donald Trump’s strongest supporters, harshly criticized the government’s joint military assault on Iran, describing the choice “absolutely disgusting and evil” in statements that indicate a growing divide within the MAGA movement regarding the Feb. 28 action.
The previous Fox News personality delivered the surprising remarks to ABC chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl during the morning hours of March 1, mere days following a White House visit. Carlson further implied the military move would transform Trump’s political base, informing Karl the assault will “shuffle the deck in a profound way.”
The government additionally encountered resistance. President Trump revealed what he characterized as “massive and ongoing” military strikes against Iranian locations, executed in partnership with Israeli military forces. Carlson, a featured speaker during prime-time hours at the 2024 Republican National Convention, has refrained from public social media commentary regarding the action, although he has historically voiced strong opposition to U.S. military involvement in the Middle East.
The government has encountered increasing disapproval from MAGA influencers and political leaders who contend the Iran action violates Trump’s electoral pledges to emphasize “America First” agenda items and terminate foreign conflicts.
Former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who departed Congress in January after a disagreement with Trump regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files disclosure, posted a profanity-filled rant on social media after the revelation. “The Trump admin actually asked in a poll how many casualties voters were willing to accept in a war with Iran??? How about ZERO you bunch of sick **** liars. We voted for America First and ZERO wars,” Greene wrote.
In following posts, Greene maintained that Trump and Vice President JD Vance campaigned vigorously on pledges to prevent foreign involvement, only to abandon those guarantees. “It’s always a lie and it’s always America Last. But it feels like the worst betrayal this time because it comes from the very man and the admin who we all believed was different and said no more,” she wrote.
Pro-Trump podcaster Tim Pool likewise denounced the government, while MAGA influencers Keith and Kevin Hodge announced that “President Trump has completely LIED to his voters, backstabbed our country and has disgraced his legacy beyond repair at this point.”
The disapproval reached Capitol Hill, where Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky stated “This is not ‘America First,'” and requested a congressional vote on the military move. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio similarly voiced opposition to the attacks.
Nevertheless, the action gained backing from other significant legislators. Sen. Lindsey Graham commended Trump as “evil’s worst nightmare,” while Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, stated Trump “has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region.” Fetterman was the sole Democrat to oppose a Senate war powers resolution designed to limit the action.
The Saturday morning attacks occurred approximately eight months following Operation Midnight Hammer, initiated in June 2025, which struck three Iranian nuclear installations at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The government maintained those attacks had destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, though Trump defended the fresh military action by claiming that Iran remained a nuclear danger and was producing long-range missiles that “could soon reach the American homeland.”
Based on The New York Times, Carlson held meetings with Trump three times in the Oval Office in recent weeks, pressing him against launching the action. He has preserved a significant position as a conservative media personality despite departing Fox News, and his earlier opposition to Israeli government policies and U.S. involvement in the Middle East have established him as a principal advocate for non-interventionist conservatism.
A 2020 text message that surfaced during the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against Fox News earlier disclosed strains in Carlson’s association with Trump, though the pair seemed to mend relations during the 2024 campaign.
Karl described the Iran action as “a momentous and potentially defining, or maybe redefining, move for President Trump,” indicating the consequences from major supporters like Carlson might transform the political environment approaching the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump later publicly separated from Carlson, informing ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that “Tucker has lost his way. 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 replied to the criticism through Status News, stating, “There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included, but I’ll always love him no matter what he says about me.”
Subsequently, Carlson intensified his disapproval even more. During a segment on the Redacted podcast in mid-March, he suggested that Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio should be imprisoned over the determination to initiate Operation Epic Fury in collaboration with Israel.
