Show Caption
Tucker Carlson says he is no longer supporting the Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.The longtime conservative commentator and "consistent defender" of the party, while speaking on the "Can’t Be Censored" podcast, said “there’s no chance I would support the Republican Party.”“Not gonna support the Democratic Party,” Carlson, 56, said on the June 18 episode. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. But at this point, you know, how could you support – how could I or any American voter support – a political party that's not loyal to the United States? That puts the interest of a foreign country above those of its own citizens?"The ousted Fox News host, one of the channel's most popular, has become increasingly critical of President Donald Trump in recent times, especially after Trump's decision to go to war with Iran in February. Carlson has repeatedly criticized the war as being at the behest of Israel and at the expense of Americans, and attacked the party for failing to represent its own voters, citizens and nation.“They are making decisions on the basis of other criteria, what’s best for this company, what’s best for Israel, what’s best for our donors,” he said. “They are off in the wrong direction, like, that is unacceptable, that’s treasonous, it’s immoral, it can’t continue.”Carlson said that although he's been "a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party," there’s "no defending this.”“So no, I’m out. And if I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out," he added.Carlson previously apologized for 'misleading' publicCarlson previously said he and fellow Republicans were "implicated" in "Operation Epic Fury," which he referred to as "absolutely disgusting and evil," and even extended his regrets for assisting in a second Trump presidency."You and I and everyone else who supported him, you wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him, I mean we're implicated in this for sure," Carlson said on a Monday, April 20, episode of "The Tucker Carlson Show," in conversation with his former GOP speechwriter brother, Buckley Carlson. "It's not enough to say, 'I changed my mind.' Or like, 'Oh this is bad, I'm out.' It's like, 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."Tucker, who endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, most notably broke with Trump in 2025 when he and other MAGA figures pressed for the U.S. military to stay out of Israel's conflict with Iran, citing his 2024 White House campaign promise to "prevent World War III." At the time, the former Fox News host accused Trump of being "complicit in the act of war" in a newsletter."We'll be tormented by it for a long time," he said. "I will be. And I want to say I'm sorry for misleading people. It was not intentional. That's all I'll say."Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAYSaman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
