Tucker Carlson has openly admitted that he feels deep regret for his role in helping Donald Trump win the presidency. The former Fox News host made these comments during a recent episode of his own show, where he was joined by his brother, Republican operative Buckley Carlson. This is a major shift for someone who actively campaigned for Trump during the 2024 election.
During the conversation, Carlson told his brother that he feels personally responsible for what is happening now. He said it is not enough to simply change your mind or walk away from a political figure, and that he and millions of other supporters are all involved in what has followed.
According to The Independent, he stated, “So I do think it’s like a moment to wrestle with our own consciences. You know, we’ll be tormented by it for a long time. I will be. And I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people. It was not intentional. That’s all I’ll say.”
Carlson’s break with Trump was likely coming, given how far apart they’ve grown on the Iran war
The two brothers also talked about Trump’s character, with Carlson questioning whether the current situation was always going to play out this way. He admitted there were clear signs of low character even before the election.
When Carlson suggested that people of low character can sometimes still perform well, his brother joked that such behavior is pretty normal these days, which made both men laugh. This public split with Trump comes as Carlson has grown sharply critical of the administration, especially over the war in Iran. He previously called Operation Epic Fury “absolutely disgusting and evil.”
According to The Daily Beast, Trump responded by attacking a group of former supporters, including Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones, in a 485-word Truth Social post, calling them “NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS.” In the same post, Trump called Carlson a “hand flailing fool” and a “broken man,” and suggested he should seek mental health support.
Carlson fired back by saying he feels sorry for the president, claiming that Israel has him in a hammerlock. You can read more about how Carlson responded to Trump calling him a nut job in detail.
He has called for the United States to distance itself from Israel, saying the U.S. should treat Israel like any other ally, but with restrictions, reservations, and redlines. These views have brought him into conflict with others, including Iran hawk Ben Shapiro, whom Carlson recently accused of making many attacks on Jesus.
The friction between Carlson and Trump is not entirely new. Court filings from the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News revealed that Carlson had privately called Trump a “demonic force” in text messages to colleagues, even while publicly supporting him during the 2024 campaign.
The split has also touched Carlson’s personal life, as his son Buckley Carlson recently left his role as Vice President JD Vance’s deputy press secretary to start his own consulting agency. Officials said the departure was planned before the war began.
Carlson is not alone in turning against Trump. Former Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has expressed similar concerns, claiming the Republican Party is being controlled by Zionists and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Alex Jones has gone as far as calling Trump a supervillain. Carlson has also faced attacks from within conservative circles, with Ted Cruz among those calling Carlson a deranged leftist who loves Sharia law. The circle of former allies now publicly distancing themselves from the administration continues to grow.
Carlson’s admission of regret puts a spotlight on just how deep the divide has become between Trump and the people who once helped get him elected. The relationship between the former Fox News star and the president appears to be completely broken, with no sign of any repair on the way.
Published: Apr 21, 2026 11:00 am