Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has severed ties with the Republican Party after more than three decades as one of its most prominent media defenders, declaring he can no longer support a GOP he believes has abandoned loyalty to the United States in favor of foreign interests.
Speaking on the Cant Be Censored podcast on June 18, Carlson delivered an unambiguous break with the party he has backed since his youth. According to WND, he told listeners, I would not support the Republican Party. Theres no chance I would support the Republican Party, before adding, Not going to support the Democratic Party. I dont know what Im going to do.
Carlson framed his decision as a moral and patriotic stand, arguing that the Republican establishment has betrayed its voters by prioritizing another nation over American citizens. How could I, or any American voters, support a political party thats not loyal to the United States, that puts the interests of a foreign country above those of its own citizens? he asked, making clear that his criticism is aimed squarely at the GOPs posture toward Israel.
The former Fox star has in recent months intensified his criticism of the Jewish state, particularly over President Donald Trumps Operation Epic Fury against Iran, which he blasted as absolutely disgusting and evil, as WorldNetDaily reported. Carlson suggested that the partys foreign-policy choices reflect a deeper corruption, insisting, Its not possible to vote for people like that. And Im not going to.
He reminded listeners that his break with the GOP comes after a lifetime of public advocacy on its behalf. Ive voted Republican my entire life. I worked at Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC, he said, underscoring that his media career has been intertwined with defending conservative causes.
Ive been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party. I mean, very consistent defender. But theres no defending this because its immoral, Carlson continued, arguing that the party has inverted its basic duty in a constitutional republic. And its 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 theyre not doing that.
His conclusion was blunt and final, and he predicted others on the right will follow his lead. So, no, Im out. And if out, then I think a lot of other people are out.
Carlson also turned his fire toward the Trump administrations current foreign-policy team, urging Vice President JD Vancewidely seen as a populist counterweight within the administrationto confront the president directly. If he were in Vances position, Carlson said, I would march into the Oval Office and say to Trump, Knock it off. Like this is ridiculous. This is the opposite of what we ran on. What are you doing? And you either stop doing it, or Im gonna give a press conference every single day from my house and explain to the world what youre doing and why. And Im gonna attack you. I dont want to, but Im going to because this is terrible for the country.'
The independent journalist accused Trumps team of abandoning an America First agenda in favor of corporate and foreign priorities. The administration, he charged, is making decisions based on other criteria: Whats best for this company, whats best for Israel, whats best for our donors.
Thats unacceptable. Thats not just like theyre off in the wrong direction. Like that is unacceptable. Thats treasonous. Its immoral. It cant continue, Carlson said, using language that reflects a deepening rift inside the broader conservative movement between nationalist-populist voices and more traditional pro-Israel, donor-aligned Republicans.
Carlsons own party registration history has long been a curiosity in political circles, given his reputation as a stalwart conservative. He was registered as a Democrat in Washington, D.C., from 2006 until he switched to Republican in 2020, a move critics once used to question his partisan bona fides.
According to the A.I. app, In a 2017 interview he explained the D.C. registration was to vote in closed mayoral primaries, while stating he sincerely despise[s] the Democratic Party, always voted strategically against progressives, and had long campaigned for Republican causes and candidates. His on-air defense of conservative positions spans decades either way.
The public rupture with Trumps foreign policy comes against the backdrop of increasingly personal attacks from the president himself. As WorldNetDaily reported in April, President Trump dismissed Carlson as a nut job with a low intelligence quotient, lumping him together with other right-leaning media figures who have criticized his stance on Iran.
I know why Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones have all been fighting me for years, especially by the fact that they think it is wonderful for Iran, the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, to have a Nuclear Weapon Because they have one thing in common, Low IQs, Trump wrote, escalating the feud. Theyre stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too! Look at their past, look at their record. They dont have what it takes, and they never did! Theyve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and arent even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, theyre NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some free and cheap publicity.
For conservatives who have long viewed Carlson as a leading voice for limited government, national sovereignty, and a restrained foreign policy, his decision to walk away from the GOP underscores the widening divide between grassroots America First voters and a party leadership still entangled with donor-class and foreign-policy lobbies. Whether his break triggers a broader exodus or simply hardens existing factions on the right, his message is clear: a party that fails to put its own citizens first risks losing not only its most vocal champions, but the trust of the voters it claims to represent.
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