Donald Trump is swinging back hard against Tucker Carlson’s sharp accusations that he’s strayed from the “America First” mantra by backing Israel’s strikes on Iran. The clash between these conservative heavyweights erupted over escalating Middle East tensions, with Carlson slamming Trump for supporting Israel’s military moves against Iran.
According to the Daily Mail, Trump dismissed Carlson’s critique as misguided, asserting that protecting American interests sometimes means backing key allies in volatile regions.
The drama kicked off on Friday when Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion,” a surprise attack that took out top Iranian military leaders and hit nuclear facilities, sending shockwaves through the region.
Iran retaliated with missile barrages on Israeli cities overnight into Sunday, tragically killing at least 13 people, including children, while sirens blared and explosions rocked Tel Aviv by late afternoon.
The toll in Iran was even grimmer—78 perished in Friday’s strikes, and another 60, half of them children, died on Saturday when a missile flattened a 14-story apartment building in Tehran.
Israel didn’t stop there, extending strikes to Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure, a move that’s spiking fears of global economic fallout as the conflict widens.
On the same Friday, Tucker Carlson fired off a newsletter blasting Trump as “complicit in an act of war” for supporting Israel’s aggressive posture, doubling down on social media by branding some Trump-allied conservatives as “warmongers.”
Carlson didn’t mince words, warning that pushing for conflict with Iran betrays Trump’s base and could tank his legacy while pointing fingers at figures like Mark Levin for allegedly lobbying for military action.
Levin, for his part, hit back on his radio show Tuesday evening, admitting to a White House meeting with Trump but insisting it was personal, not a war-pushing campaign, and claiming a tight friendship with the former president.
Trump, never one to sit quietly, told The Atlantic he hadn’t even seen Carlson’s critique but scoffed at the simplistic “warmongers versus peacemakers” narrative as out of touch with reality.
He doubled down on his core concern, declaring, “Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb,” making it crystal clear this isn’t just about Israel but a non-negotiable line for global security.
On Sunday, Trump reiterated to ABC News that the U.S. isn’t currently entangled in the conflict but left the door ajar, noting it’s “possible we could get involved” down the line.
Behind closed doors, Trump reportedly nixed an Israeli proposal earlier in the week to target Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a move confirmed by two U.S. officials, showing he’s not blindly following every hawkish impulse.
Yet pressure is mounting from GOP hardliners on Iran to back Israel’s bombing campaign, while Carlson’s warnings about figures like Levin, whom he accused of wanting American troops to fight wars he won’t—add fuel to an already fiery conservative rift.
Amidst this chaos, Trump stands firm, asserting on Truth Social early Sunday that “The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight,” while a senior administration official coolly noted to Reuters that no American deaths mean no escalation to targeting Iran’s political brass—yet.
