Tucker Carlson
War in Iran could pave the way for one of the most influential figures on the American right. Carlson says the policy is disgusting, but so did Trump.
Tucker Carlson, former face of Fox News and one of the most influential figures on the American right, once again fueled speculation about a possible run for the White House in 2028, after publicly admitting that he feels “tormented” for his support of Donald Trump.
The comment was made on a recent episode of his podcast, while talking to his brother, Buckley Carlson, Trump’s former speechwriter. During the conversation, both addressed their feelings of disappointment with the current President of the United States, with Tucker Carlson stating that he was “sorry for having deceived people” and that this was a time to “struggle with his own conscience”.
Carlson was, for around a decade, one of Trump’s most important media defenders, and helped mobilize audiences that reinforced the Trumpist agenda. Lately, he has been doing the opposite and contributing to the division of the MAGA movement. Even after private messages released in the lawsuit between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems revealed that Carlson said he hated Trump, the host continued to publicly support him. In recent months support appears to have weakened.
The rupture is mainly linked to Carlson’s criticism of the United States’ position vis-à-vis Israel and the war with Iran. For some analysts, this turn is not just a crisis of conscience, but part of a political strategy with a view to the 2028 presidential elections.
Jason Zengerle, journalist and author of a new biography about Carlson, argues that the former presenter has become a leader of a new movement. In an interview with , Zengerle said that the War with Iran could pave the way for Carlson’s presidential candidacy in 2028especially if the conflict goes wrong.
Carlson could present himself there as the figure who opposed the war from the beginning and as the true heir of MAGA, and in this scenario he would gain an advantage over names 100% loyal to Trump, such as JD Vance or Marco Rubio.
As , Scott Galloway, co-host of the Pivot podcast, also considers Carlson the most likely Republican candidate in 2028.
Carlson has avoided confirming any presidential ambitions. In a March interview with , he rejected the idea of wanting to run for the Republican nomination. And he also told Piers Morgan that he’s not sure he’s interested in the presidency: he believes politics is “disgusting” and that coalition building doesn’t come naturally to him.
However, it is necessary to remember that Donald Trump also said that for years he “would not want to be president of the United States”, that political life “is very cruel” and that, due to his “unpopular” ideas, he would not have “a great chance of being elected”. Trump was 34 years old when he made this comment.
Carlson currently has a huge media base and millions of followers on YouTube. He could try to capitalize on the discontent of conservative sectors and present himself as an alternative to traditional Trumpism, as many have stopped seeing him as a simple political commentator.
