Tucker Carlson turned on Trump over his Easter Truth Social post, and the “Praise be to Allah” line is what pushed him over the edge

Tucker Carlson publicly slammed President Donald Trump after Trump posted a profanity-filled threat against Iran on Truth Social. This is a notable moment because Carlson has long been one of Trump’s most consistent and prominent defenders.

Trump’s post came as his administration deals with an ongoing war with Iran. Iran has responded to U.S. and Israeli strikes by restricting travel through the Strait of Hormuz, a key passageway for about 20% of the world’s oil supply. 

On Easter, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.” According to Mediaite, Carlson, who has openly opposed the war, took issue with both the profanity in an Easter message and the closing line. 

Carlson argues that mocking another religion undermines the very idea of faith itself

It was “Praise be to Allah” that really crossed a line for him. “Who do you think you are?” Carlson said. “You’re tweeting out the f-word on Easter morning? ‘You’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.'”

Carlson made clear why the remark troubled him so deeply. “So, obviously you’re mocking the religion of Iran. Okay. If you seek a religious war, that’s a good idea. But by the way, no decent person mocks other people’s religions.” 

He argued that mocking another’s faith ultimately mocks the concept of faith altogether. “To mock other people’s faith is to mock the idea of faith itself. And we should never mock that because at its core is the acknowledgement that we are not in charge of the universe. We did not build it. We won’t be here at the end of it. We can destroy life. We cannot create it because we are not God.”

Carlson also argued that no U.S. president should be mocking Islam. “No president should mock Islam. That’s not your job. This is not a theocracy. We don’t go to war with other theocracies to find out which theocracy is more effective. We are not a theocracy. And God willing, we never will be because theocracies corrupt the religion.” If you want to read Trump’s full Easter Truth Social post, it is even more striking than the excerpts suggest.

Carlson, who now hosts The Tucker Carlson Show podcast after leaving Fox News, revealed that he tried to personally stop Trump from going to war with Iran. He met with the president three times in the month before the war began, but his efforts had no effect. 

The former Fox News host has not been in contact with Trump since. According to Vox, Carlson argues the conflict “doesn’t serve American interests in any conceivable way.” The war officially began on February 28. Before that, Trump reportedly told his aides that Iran would not block the Strait of Hormuz. 

He apparently believed Tehran would back down, or that the U.S. military could easily handle any attempt to close the strait. That has not played out as expected. Carlson believes Trump was “pushed into it by the Netanyahu government.” 

He questioned how the prime minister of a country with 9 million people could hold such sway over the president of a nation with 350 million. He described a situation where Israel told the U.S. it would move against Iran regardless, leaving the U.S. to either join in or risk its forces and interests in the Gulf by refusing. 

Carlson concluded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu essentially made the timing decision, putting him “in charge.” Carlson is not the only public figure weighing in on the war – Jake Paul’s stance on the Iran conflict has also raised eyebrows given his long history of backing Trump.

Carlson also pointed out a contradiction in Trump’s record. While Trump has spoken tough on Iran since the late 1980s, he also campaigned heavily against regime-change wars –  especially in 2016, when he criticized the Iraq War. 

Carlson finds it deeply troubling that the same president who understood the mistakes of 2003 has now started a similar conflict. Five weeks into the Iran war, Carlson sees no clear exit strategy, and worries the U.S. could end up leaving Iran, a country that controls a fifth of the world’s energy supply, in a stronger position than before February.