President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, who has been criticizing Trump over the Middle East conflict, called him to “apologize” for saying things “that were a little bit too strong.”
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump addressed the ongoing debate among some on the Right about the conflict between Israel and Iran. He dismissed a question that suggested the Israeli strikes are “dividing” his supporters.
“No, my supporters are for me. My supporters are for America First and Make America Great Again,” Trump said. “My supporters don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon. Tucker’s a nice guy. He called and apologized the other day because he thought he said things that were a little bit too strong.”
Trump’s comments came after Carlson interviewed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) over foreign policy in a discussion that quickly turned into a heated debate on Israel and Iran during an episode of Carlson’s podcast that was released on Wednesday.
The president added that “Ted Cruz is a nice guy. He’s been with me for a long time.” Trump said that “nobody thinks it’s okay” for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“I don’t want a fight, either. I’m not looking for a fight,” Trump said. “But if it’s a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do. And maybe we won’t have to fight. Don’t forget, we haven’t been fighting. We add a certain amount of genius to everything, but we haven’t been fighting.”
🚨NEW — President Trump says Tucker Carlson called him and apologized:
“Tucker’s a nice guy. He called and apologized…because he thought he said things that were a little bit too strong.”
“If they think that it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, then they should oppose… pic.twitter.com/GEz1WjYlRx
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 18, 2025
Earlier this week, Carlson said Trump was “complicit in an act of war” after Israel struck military targets and nuclear facilities in Iran. Carlson added in his newsletter that “This Could Be the Final Newsletter Before All-Out War.” Trump responded to Carlson’s criticism, writing on Truth Social on Monday, “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, ‘IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!’”
In another statement responding to criticism over his allegiance to an “America First” foreign policy, Trump said earlier this week, “Well, considering that I’m the one that developed ‘America First,’ and considering that the term wasn’t used until I came along, I think I’m the one that decides that. For those people who say they want peace—you can’t have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon. So for all of those wonderful people who don’t want to do anything about Iran having a nuclear weapon—that’s not peace.”
Cruz ripped Carlson earlier on Wednesday, arguing that he has gone “bat crap crazy” in adopting “hardcore isolationist” views. Carlson, meanwhile, criticized Cruz during their interview for not knowing the population of Iran, as the senator calls for regime change in the radical Islamic country.
“I want to stop a lunatic who wants to murder us from getting nuclear weapons that could kill millions of Americans,” Cruz told Carlson.
“Fair,” Carlson responded.
