"Tucker has lost his way, he's not MAGA": Trump publicly breaks with Tucker Carlson following his criticism of Iran strikes

It was a matter of time. President Donald Trump publicly distanced himself Thursday from journalist Tucker Carlson after declaring during an interview on ABC that the former Fox News host no longer represents the values of his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. The public rift comes shortly after Carlson harshly condemned the recent U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran, which ended the life of Ayatollah Alli Khamenei last February 28, marking an event that could represent a turning point in the Middle East.

Carlson, who is now a podcaster following his controversial departure from Fox News, recently called the attacks on Iran "absolutely disgusting and evil," prompting outrage from the former president. Despite having maintained a close relationship with Trump - including multiple visits to the White House and an appearance as a keynote speaker at the 2024 Republican National Convention - the conservative journalist has increasingly expressed disagreements on key issues such as foreign policy and the release of documents related to the Epstein case.

"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," Trump said during the interview, in which he also took the opportunity to praise the results that the Iran operation has had so far, and in which he assured that such an offensive has been very well received. "They are decimated for a 10-year period before they could build it back," Trump told journalist Jonathan Karl about Iranian capabilities.