President Donald Trump said Thursday that Tucker Carlson is no longer part of the MAGA movement, declaring in an interview that the former Fox News host “has lost his way.”
“Tucker has lost his way,” Trump told 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.”
Trump’s comments come after Carlson sharply criticized the administration over recent U.S. strikes on Iran. Carlson called the military action “absolutely disgusting and evil.” He has also criticized the Trump administration on other issues, including the Epstein files and the war in Ukraine.
In the same interview, Trump defended the Iran operation and described it as a success. The president gave multiple interviews Thursday in which he praised the strikes and insisted that Americans support the decision, saying people are “loving it,” despite polls suggesting a more divided public response.
“They are decimated for a 10-year period before they could build it back,” Trump said of Iran.
Carlson, meanwhile, warned that the decision to strike Iran could reshape Trump’s political movement. In an interview with Karl, he said the move would “shuffle the deck in a profound way” politically.
Trump previously dismissed Carlson’s criticism of the strikes, saying it had no impact on him. Carlson reportedly visited the White House multiple times last month to lobby against the attack.
Despite the public criticism, Carlson said he still supports Trump.
Speaking to Status reporter Oliver Darcy on Thursday, the former Fox News host expressed continued loyalty to the president even after Trump publicly distanced himself from him.
“There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included,” Carlson said, adding, “but I’ll always love him no matter what he says about me.”
