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Tucker Carlson: The Broadcaster Who Said "Warmongers"

Tucker Carlson was for years the most-watched host on cable news, at Fox News, and since 2023 has run his own network and podcast. He is a longtime supporter of the President and one of the most influential voices among his voters. From the first day of the Iran war he opposed it, argued in the Oval Office against it, and said openly that Israel's government was the reason it was happening. The President called him "kooky" and said he had "lost his way." This page follows what he said and what was done in response.

June 2025: "warmongers and peacemakers"​

On June 13, 2025, the day Israel attacked Iran:

"The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers."

(Carlson on X, June 13, 2025). Three days later he interviewed Steve Bannon on how "the president's enemies are working to destroy MAGA with the war on Iran," under a segment on Fox News "pro-war propaganda" (Carlson on X, June 16, 2025). The President responded the same day: "Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, 'IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!'" (The Hill on X). Iranian commentator Akbar Ganji recorded Carlson's view of the June strikes: "This was an act of war sponsored by Israel" (Ganji on X, December 27, 2025).

The Cruz interview: "Is AIPAC a foreign lobby?"​

On June 18, 2025, Carlson interviewed Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a leading advocate of regime change in Iran. The exchange became one of the most-watched political videos of the year. From the transcript:

Carlson: "Have you taken money from the Israel? From AIPAC." Cruz: "So AIPAC raises a lot of money for me, but it's actually a misnomer because the people who raise money are individuals." Carlson: "Is the APAC a foreign lobby?" Cruz: "No, it's an American lobby." Cruz: "I came into Congress 13 years ago with the stated intention of being the leading defender of Israel in the United States Senate." Carlson: "AIPAC is lobbying for a foreign government." Cruz: "It's not. It's lobbying for the united states it is lobbying for a strong u.s israeli relationship."

And on spying: Carlson: "Do they spy domestically in the United States?" Cruz: "Oh, they probably do. And we do as well." (Podscripts transcript; Carlson on X). One viewer's reaction captured the wider response: "I never thought I'd side with Tucker Carlson on anything, but Ted Cruz's refusal to acknowledge that AIPAC lobbies for Israel was a denial of reality." (Reddit r/ROI, June 21, 2025).

Israeli officers in the Pentagon​

In October 2025 Carlson told economist Jeffrey Sachs that during the June war, Israeli military officers "enraged American Pentagon staff by barging into meetings, giving orders, making demands, and no one did anything about it" (as quoted from Tablet). In the 2026 war he said, as rendered by the Turkish outlet Haberler, that "Israeli officers have invaded the Pentagon, moving freely in the building." In April 2026, a claim attributed to him that IDF officers keep "permanent offices inside the Pentagon. And inside the CIA" became one of X's largest stories. See Israeli officers in the Pentagon.

2026: three Oval Office meetings​

As the second war approached, Carlson went directly to the President. According to the New York Times, as relayed by a critic, he "lobbied Trump personally in three Oval Office meetings to stop the strikes," arguing that "Israel's impulse" was the only reason the White House was considering them (M.A. Rothman on X, April 3, 2026). When the war came he called it "absolutely disgusting and evil," the same account reports. In March 2026 the President told ABC's Jonathan Karl: "Tucker has lost his way" and "he's not MAGA," and added "Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that."

In his later commentary Carlson put the thesis in plain words: "Israel cajoled, convinced, threatened, however they did it, got the US government to fight this war, a regime change war in Iran on its behalf with it as a partner." (HappyScribe transcript of The Tucker Carlson Show). In another interview he said the President had been "captured by neoconservatives" (captured search summary). One widely shared line attributed to him warned that war planners "NEED AMERICAN GROUND TROOPS" and might wait for "ANOTHER 9/11 STYLE TERROR ATTACK ON US SOIL TO JUSTIFY IT" (captured search summary; the original clip was not captured).

On Charlie Kirk​

Carlson said that after Charlie Kirk went to the White House to urge the President not to strike Iran, Kirk received "massive abuse" and "intense messages" from his donors and made "real enemies" (captured search summary). He hosted the interview in which Joe Kent said the National Counterterrorism Center's look into Kirk's killing was stopped (see the investigation that was stopped).

The attacks on him​

Beyond the President's insults, Carlson's opponents attacked his family, his guests, and his motives. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where his late father Dick Carlson had been vice chairman, publicly lamented him: FDD's CEO Mark Dubowitz wrote "I just can't fathom what happened to Tucker," and FDD founder Clifford May called him "a lost boy — lost to his father's legacy, lost to the cause of Israeli survival" (as quoted by Rothman). Critics accused him of taking foreign money; his network answered that "Neither Tucker nor TCN has ever taken a penny from Qatar or any foreign country," and no payment has been verified. A pro-Israel account challenged his claim that Netanyahu has said on tape "I control the United States Congress. I control the White House," saying the tape could not be found (Israel Justice Organization on X, July 29, 2026).

After the break​

In August 2026, Carlson appeared with Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, and Joe Kent in a photo announcing their break with the President over foreign policy. Carlson: "There's going to be a third party, and I'm going to do everything I can to bring that about." (Rothman on X, August 2, 2026). He had become the public face of a movement the war created.

Status: Alive. (Tucker Carlson. Also alive: Ted Cruz, Steve Bannon, Jeffrey Sachs, Mark Dubowitz, Clifford May, Donald Trump. Dick Carlson — Deceased (2025).)

Sources​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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