Featured Image Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/YouTube/The Tucker Carlson Show
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, News
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, News
Tucker Carlson has made another major U-turn in his support of Donald Trump.
The right-wing podcaster was once a keen opponent of the businessman-turned-politician, describing him as the 'single most repulsive person on the planet' during a 1999 interview.
In the years that followed, however, Carlson's view of Trump changed, and when the 79-year-old first announced his plans to run for President in 2016, he gave the new Republican frontman his full support.
When Trump then returned to the White House for a second stint last January, Carlson fended off criticism against him, promoting his controversial immigration policies and supporting his 'America First' messaging.
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Until now, Carlson has been considered one of Trump's strongest political allies.
Hosting the latest episode of his titular show this week, however, the 56-year-old claimed he's been 'tormented' by the knowledge that he ever aided Trump in his bids for power.
Carlson's unexpected remark was made on Monday (20 Apr) while hosting the episode with his brother, Buckley, who previously worked as one of Trump's leading speechwriters.
During the installation, Carlson complained that the traditional conservative values that once defined the Republican party had been tainted by Trump in recent weeks, so much so that he admitted to regretting ever voting in his favour.
"You know, we’ll be tormented by it for a long time - I will be," Carlson told listeners. "And I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people.
"It was not intentional, that’s all I’ll say."
The admission, he claimed, came during 'a moment to wrestle with our own consciences'.
It's Trump's latest partnership with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu that Carlson claimed altered his way of thinking, as well as their pair's joint missile attack on Iran earlier this year.
The US-Israeli attack quickly sparked full-fledged war across the Middle East, triggering a rise in petrol and shipping costs and a heightened concern regarding national security.
Speaking to his brother, Carlson slammed Trump's ceaseless, lethal threats against the Iranian people as 'vile on every level', taking responsibility for the part he played in securing the President's victory against Kamala Harris in 2024.
"You and I and everyone else who supported him," he told Buckley. "You wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him - I mean, we’re implicated in this for sure. It’s not enough to say, 'Well, I changed my mind', or like 'Oh, this is bad – I’m out'.
"In very small ways, but in real ways, you and me and millions of people like us are the reason this is happening right now."
Bringing the focus back to America's war with Iran, Carlson slammed Trump for 'clearly [having] no plan for [it], wasn’t enthusiastic about [it], was fully aware of the risks, fully aware that it was a betrayal of his explicit promises for 10 years not to do this – he did it and did it against his will."
Days earlier, Trump had issued a fiery statement on Truth Social, calling out several of his former right-leaning supporters.
He branded Carlson 'a low IQ person - always easy to beat, and highly overrated' in a scathing statement that also slammed the likes of Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones.
Trump's comments came after Carlson first publicly expressed doubt over Trump's leadership.
He told Newsmax earlier this month: "I’ve always liked Trump and still feel sorry for him – as I do for all slaves. He’s hemmed in by other forces.
"He can’t make his own decisions. It’s awful to watch."
During this week's podcast, Carlson also had the opportunity to discuss the President's ongoing verbal attacks on Pope Leo XIV, the first-ever American-born Pontiff, who is strongly against war with Iran.
Referencing an AI-image Trump recently shared, depicting himself as Jesus Christ, the podcaster hit out: "He’s mocking Jesus. He’s making fun of Christianity. The central figure of the religion is being held up for mockery.
"Could this be the antichrist? Well, who knows? At least that’s my conclusion. Who knows?"