Tucker Carlson, previously among President Donald Trump’s most visible supporters, harshly criticized the government’s combined military assault on Iran, describing the choice as “absolutely disgusting and evil” in statements that indicate a growing division within the MAGA movement regarding the Feb. 28 action.
The previous Fox News personality delivered the remarkable statements to ABC chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl during the morning hours of March 1, only days following a White House visit. Carlson additionally indicated the military strike would transform Trump’s political base, informing Karl the assault will “shuffle the deck in a profound way.”
The government similarly encountered opposition. President Trump revealed what he characterized as “massive and ongoing” military campaigns against Iranian locations, executed in coordination with Israeli military forces. Carlson, a featured speaker during prime-time at the 2024 Republican National Convention, has remained silent on social media regarding the campaign, despite his past vocal opposition to U.S. military involvement in the Middle East.
The government has encountered increasing disapproval from MAGA personalities and elected officials who contend the Iran campaign violates Trump’s electoral commitments to emphasize “America First” principles and terminate international conflicts.
Former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who stepped down from Congress in January after a disagreement with Trump regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files disclosure, posted a profanity-filled outburst on social media after the revelation. “The Trump admin actually asked in a poll how many casualties voters were willing to accept in a war with Iran??? How about ZERO you bunch of sick **** liars. We voted for America First and ZERO wars,” Greene wrote.
In following posts, Greene contended that Trump and Vice President JD Vance ran their campaigns heavily on pledges to prevent foreign involvement, subsequently abandoning those obligations. “It’s always a lie and it’s always America Last. But it feels like the worst betrayal this time because it comes from the very man and the admin who we all believed was different and said no more,” she wrote.
Pro-Trump podcaster Tim Pool similarly denounced the government, while MAGA influencers Keith and Kevin Hodge stated that “President Trump has completely LIED to his voters, backstabbed our country and has disgraced his legacy beyond repair at this point.”
The disapproval reached Capitol Hill, where Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky stated “This is not ‘America First,'” and demanded a congressional ballot on the military campaign. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio similarly voiced opposition to the attacks.
Nevertheless, the campaign received backing from additional notable legislators. Sen. Lindsey Graham commended Trump as “evil’s worst nightmare,” while Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, stated Trump “has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region.” Fetterman was the sole Democrat to oppose a Senate war powers resolution designed to limit the campaign.
The Saturday morning attacks occurred approximately eight months following Operation Midnight Hammer, initiated in June 2025, which struck three Iranian nuclear installations at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The government asserted those attacks had destroyed Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, though Trump defended the fresh military campaign by claiming that Iran remained a nuclear danger and was producing long-range missiles that “could soon reach the American homeland.”
Based on The New York Times, Carlson visited with Trump on three occasions in the Oval Office during recent weeks, pressing him to avoid initiating the campaign. He has retained an influential position as a conservative media personality following his Fox News departure, and his earlier disapproval of Israeli government strategies and U.S. involvement in the Middle East have established him as a prominent advocate for non-interventionist conservatism.
A 2020 text message that surfaced during the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against Fox News earlier exposed strains in Carlson’s association with Trump, although the pair seemed to mend relations during the 2024 campaign.
Karl described the Iran campaign as “a momentous and potentially defining, or maybe redefining, move for President Trump,” indicating the consequences from key allies like Carlson might transform the political environment approaching the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump later publicly severed ties with Carlson, informing ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that “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.” Carlson replied to the criticism via Status News, stating, “There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included, but I’ll always love him no matter what he says about me.”
Subsequently, Carlson intensified his disapproval even more. While appearing on the Redacted podcast during mid-March, he suggested that Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio should face imprisonment regarding the determination to initiate Operation Epic Fury in collaboration with Israel.
