Tucker Carlson on his MAGA split and Trump's 'nihilism' | NPR's Newsmakers

Tucker Carlson (0:03)

He should have been removed from office immediately when he threatened nuclear war, threatening the offensive use of nuclear weapons, which is to say threatening the destruction of humanity.

I said to Trump, you know, four days before the war started, if you do this, you know, the United States will be kicked out of the Gulf. Your legacy will be destroyed along with your party. I said this to Trump, to his face, in the Oval Office, and he looked at me and said, yes, you're right. But in the end, we all die anyway. So it doesn't matter. That's exactly what he said.

Steve Inskeep (0:36)

Hi, this is Steve Inskeep sharing a brand new episode just released on our sister show Newsmakers. In every episode of that show, we interview someone at the center of this moment in the news or our culture. They talk about how things look from the inside. For more interviews like the one you're about to hear, make sure to follow or subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you watch or listen. You can also find us on the NPR app, of course. And now, here's our episode with Tucker Carlson from NPR's Newsmakers.

Tucker Carlson has commanded an audience for decades as a cable TV pundit, as a Fox News star, and then after his firing, as the head of an independent network frequently broadcasting from this barn in Maine. In 2024, Carlson spoke for President Trump's election. In 2026, he's turned against the president over the Iran war and more. And that was the starting point for our discussion.

Tucker Carlson, thanks for welcoming us here. This is amazing. I have a lot of questions.

Tucker Carlson (1:38)

Oh my, I have a lot of answers.

Steve Inskeep (1:39)

I want to talk about the economy, I want to ask about faith, I want to ask about AI.

I need to begin with the news that you made in recent months, your break, if that's the right word, with President Trump. And I have a specific question, simple question about that. You have said that the president, in deciding to go to war with Iran, was more a hostage than a decision maker, a slave to foreign interests, and it was the single most foolish thing a president has ever done. Given that, should President Trump be impeached for going to war with Iran?

Tucker Carlson (2:12)

Well, let me just say, you know, it's always a painful experience to hear your own quotes read back to you because often they don't hold up, many of mine haven't, many of mine haven't. Those have, that's every, all three of those observations are true. And I think they've been proved true since I said them.

He was pushed by a foreign country to do this. It is the most profoundly destructive thing. Any single decision a president has made in our history. I feel sorry for him. I'm not angry at him personally. I don't think that he had the latitude to make this decision on his own. So you know, I have pity. Should he be impeached?

I mean, he's not gonna be, he's not gonna be removed for this because both parties agree with it and that's kind of the point. I think the Democratic leadership probably is, you know, an elaborate critique of how he's prosecuted the war. But Chuck Schumer was of course always for a regime change war against Iran. So that is kind of the point. Trump joined the other side in the uniparty to do this. So he's not gonna be punished for it. He'll get him on corruption or whatever.

Steve Inskeep (3:21)

That's a bit of an evasion though, respectfully, in saying, well, it's never gonna happen. Should he be punished? Should he be removed from office if you believe, as you've said, that he effectively betrayed the country?

Tucker Carlson (3:33)

He should be removed. He should have been removed from office immediately when he threatened nuclear war, threatening the offensive use of nuclear weapons, which is to say threatening the destruction of humanity.

Steve Inskeep (3:43)

Okay, what about the war in Iran then?

Tucker Carlson (3:48)

It's enough for me to say, he should be removed from office. He should have been removed from office by his own cabinet secretaries the moment he threatened a nuclear attack.

Steve Inskeep (3:58)

You're talking now about the 25th Amendment where a majority of the cabinet- That's correct. Yeah.

Tucker Carlson (4:02)

He should have been bundled up and taken out. That's a crime. There's no greater crime than that. You think of all the people you know who go to jail for violating Farah or cheating on their taxes. Here you have a guy threatening to eliminate the human race, and that's not considered a crime. It tells you how deranged our moral scale has become.