How one of Trump's biggest defenders became an outspoken critic
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 24 April 2026
⏱️ 8 minutes
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Summary
Tucker Carlson now says he is “tormented” by his previous support for President Trump.
The conservative media personality has criticized the president over the U.S. war with Iran, among other issues.
New Yorker writer Jason Zengerle has followed Tucker Carlson for years. He’s the author of a book about Carlson, “Hated by All the Right People."
Zengerle says that while from time to time Carlson’s support for Trump has wavered, this time is different.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I never thought that I would be speaking at a rally for Donald Trump. |
| 0:04.3 | This is the fourth time I've done it. |
| 0:05.8 | That is former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in October 24, just days before the election that gave President Trump a second term. |
| 0:14.1 | And it has felt not only like an honor and a privilege every time. |
| 0:18.7 | When Trump first ran in 2016, Carlson emerged as one of his most reliable and aggressive |
| 0:23.5 | defenders, championing the president and pulling the Republican base deeper into the MAGA orbit. |
| 0:30.2 | Carlson continued to publicly support Trump throughout the first term and often campaigned with him in 2024. |
| 0:36.4 | But then Trump pulled the United States into war with Iran. |
| 0:40.2 | I love Trump. I campaigned for Trump. |
| 0:42.6 | That's Carlson speaking with India today in February of this year. |
| 0:46.0 | I don't agree with this administration's Israel policy. |
| 0:49.5 | I think it's terrible for the United States. |
| 0:50.7 | It's terrible for the world. |
| 0:52.1 | But it doesn't mean I don't love Trump. I do. |
| 0:54.2 | As the war with Iran continued, that love Carlson spoke about, it's now in question. Here he is this |
| 1:00.1 | week on his podcast. It's not enough to say, well, I changed my mind or like, oh, this is bad. I'm out. |
| 1:06.5 | Carlson went on. We'll be tormented by it for a long time. I will be. |
| 1:13.8 | And I want to say I'm sorry for misleading people. |
| 1:15.6 | It was not intentional. |
| 1:16.4 | That's all I'll say. |
| 1:17.3 | Consider this. |
| 1:21.8 | One of President Trump's biggest defenders has now become one of his loudest critics. |
... |
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