Veteran conservative media personality Tucker Carlson declared on a recent podcast appearance that he wants nothing to do with the Republican Party going into the November midterm elections — a dramatic break from a political affiliation he championed for decades, including during his long run as one of Fox News Channel’s top-rated hosts.
Speaking late last week on the podcast “Can’t Be Censored,” Carlson was equally clear that he has no interest in switching sides. “Not gonna support the Democratic Party,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Since being let go by Fox News in 2023, Carlson has built a substantial audience through his own independent podcast. His break from the Republican Party has grown sharper in recent months, largely fueled by his opposition to President Donald Trump’s decision to launch military action against Iran in February.
Carlson had backed Trump during the 2024 presidential race, but after the war got underway, he publicly apologized for that support, saying he had been “misleading people” — though he insisted it was not intentional.
He has continued to hammer the party over what he sees as a failure to put American interests first, repeatedly arguing that the conflict with Iran serves Israel’s agenda rather than that of everyday Americans.
“They are making decisions on the basis of other criteria, what’s best for this company, what’s best for Israel, what’s best for our donors,” Carlson said. “That’s not just, like, they are off in the wrong direction, like, that is unacceptable, that’s treasonous, it’s immoral, it can’t continue.”
Carlson framed his departure as the end of a long and loyal relationship with the party. “I’ve been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party, I mean very consistent defender, but there’s no defending this,” he said. “So no, I’m out. And if I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out.”
