Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has lost hope in the Republican Party.
He decided to leave the GOP, saying it no longer reflects his views.
On an episode of the “Can’t Be Censored” podcast that aired Thursday, he said, “There’s no chance I would support the Republican Party. Not going to support the Democratic Party. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
“But at this point, you know, how could you support — how could I, or any American voter, support a political party that’s not loyal to the United States, that puts the interest of a foreign country above those of its own citizens?”
He was referring to the Trump administration’s tight alliance with Israel.
Mr. Carlson, who was a staunch ally of President Trump in 2024 before making a 180-degree turn and becoming one of his critics, has cited the war in Iran as his reason to diverge from the party.
He has said America shouldn’t have been in the war in any capacity, opposing the deployment of troops, weapons and funding, and argues the president’s subsequent negotiations and ceasefire announcements are “humiliating” losses for the U.S.
Mr. Carlson also accused Mr. Trump of being a “slave” to foreign interests and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing the Mideast country as a strategic liability and calling for the U.S. to “detach from Israel.”
After the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran in February, Mr. Carlson apologized for endorsing Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign and “misleading people.”
Some critics, however, have argued that Mr. Carlson’s views are antisemitic.
The conservative pundit aligns with those who believe the U.S. entered the war in Iran due to pressure from Mr. Netanyahu.
Mr. Trump dismisses that idea, asserting that he has dictated the Middle Eastern conflict and stating, “If anything, I might’ve forced Israel’s hand.”
Even though Mr. Carlson has been what he called a “consistent defender” of the Republican Party for 35 years, including his stint as one of Fox News’ most popular hosts before he was fired in 2023, he said that’s over.
“There’s no defending this,” he said of the Iran war, “because it’s immoral and it’s exactly the opposite of what a political party in a democracy is charged with doing, which is representing its own voters, its own citizens, its own nation, and they’re not doing that. So, no, I’m out. And if I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out.”
