President Donald Trump has thrown Tucker Carlson out of club MAGA after the conservative podcaster criticized the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran .
The Trump administration is trying hard to sell Operation Epic Fury to the American people, in part by posting promo-style videos of the strikes on social media, but Carlson and others aren't buying it.
Carlson called Trump's decision to attack Iran “absolutely disgusting and evil” in a statement to ABC News' Jonathan Karl when the strikes began over the weekend.
The goal of Operation Epic Fury is to “eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten Americans,” Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads the US Central Command, said Thursday. Trump has claimed that Iran was rebuilding its nuclear program and was planning to attack US forces before the strikes .
Carlson said on his podcast Monday, "This is Israel's war. This is not the United States' war. This war's not being waged on behalf of American national security objectives — to make the United States safer or richer. This war isn't even about weapons of mass destruction, nukes."
Amid Carlson's Iran war criticism, Trump lashed out at the former Fox News host, telling Karl Thursday, “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.
The Independent has reached out to Carlson's representatives for comment.
Following the president’s comments, Carlson told Status’s Oliver Darcy , “There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included.” He added, “But I'll always love him no matter what he says about me.”
Right-wing activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer came to the president's defense and bashed Carlson Thursday, writing on X, “Tucker is actively running interference for the Iranian regime and he's deliberately trying to break the America First MAGA base from within.
“Tucker is a massive liability to the President, and his sick betrayal of our country must be completely EXPOSED AND CONDEMNED!”
The term “America First,” on which Trump ran his 2024 presidential campaign, has widely been believed to mean putting the interests of the American people ahead of foreign issues. It has typically been associated with the opposition to new wars.
But now, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has defined it as America being the “greatest, most unquestioned, unmatched power in the world.”
“The president has made clear that he believes America's awesome military might should be used to protect and defend America's interests,” Miller told Fox News' Sean Hannity Wednesday. “‘America First’ means America will be the greatest, most unquestioned, unmatched power in the world, and it means we will defend American lives.”
Trump said in his 2024 victory election speech, “I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars.” Polling indicates that Americans are not happy with the president's decision to attack Iran.
A Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies poll conducted for NBC News found 54 percent of American voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the situation, and when asked specifically whether the US should have taken military action against Iran, 52 percent said it should not have.
In a CNN poll published on Monday, 6 in 10 respondents said that the president lacked “a clear plan for handling the situation” while a slightly higher amount, 62 percent, said that he should get congressional approval before launching further strikes.
Cooper said Thursday the US has sunk or destroyed more than 30 Iranian Navy ships and “relentlessly destroyed Iran’s air defenses.”
The commander said the US military is also working to “systemically dismantle Iran’s missile production capability for the future.”
It's clear when Operation Epic Fury will end, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying Thursday, “We have only just begun to fight.”
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