Tucker Carlson has issued a remarkable on-air apology for his role in helping Donald Trump win the presidency, saying he will be 'tormented' by it 'for a long time.' The conservative commentator made the admission during a recent episode of 'The Tucker Carlson Show', sitting alongside his brother Buckley Carlson to discuss the state of the United States under Trump's second term.
'I want to say I'm sorry for misleading people, it was not intentional,' Carlson told viewers. 'That's all I'll say.' The admission marked one of the most striking public breaks yet between Trump and a figure who was once among his most influential media allies.
Carlson did not spare himself or his brother in the reckoning. 'You and I, and everyone else who supported him, I mean you wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him — I mean we're implicated in this for sure,' he told Buckley. 'It's not enough to say "well I changed my mind" or like "oh, this is bad I'm out."'
He went further, acknowledging the broader weight of their collective actions. '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,' he said. Buckley Carlson, who wrote speeches for Trump during the 2016 campaign, was also present for the conversation and did not dispute his brother's characterisation.
The admission came after Buckley suggested those in power should consider invoking the 25th Amendment, which allows for a president to be declared incapable of fulfilling their duties. 'The 25th amendment is there for a reason,' the younger Carlson said. 'It's not crazy to talk about it in this context.'
The rupture between Trump and Carlson has become one of the most visible splits within the MAGA movement, largely over the war in the Middle East and Trump's relationship with Israel. Carlson was among the first major conservative media figures to denounce the US military operation against Iran, which began in February,callingTrump's rhetoric on the matter 'vile on every level.'
Tucker Carlson delivered a43-minute monologueframing Trump's Iran rhetoric as morally corrupt and even 'evil.' He also urged White House staff and military officials to refuse presidential orders that could lead to mass civilian casualties in Iran — including, he said, the potential use of nuclear weapons — telling them directly: 'Now it's time to say no, absolutely not.'
He was not alone in his dissent.Megyn Kellyeffectively accused Trump of gaslighting Americans to 'save face' for an unpopular conflict, andCandace Owenscalled for Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment.
Trump did not take the criticism quietly. The president went after Carlson, Kelly, Owens and Alex Jones in a lengthy Truth Socialpost, calling them 'losers' and 'nut jobs' and saying they were 'stupid people' who 'know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too.'
Trump also wrote on Truth Social: 'Flailing Fools like Tucker Carlson, who couldn't even finish College, he was a broken man when he got fired from Fox, and he's never been the same. Perhaps he should see a good psychiatrist!'
Source: International Business Times UK
