Tucker Carlson has drawn a hard line over Donald Trump’s approach to Iran, arguing that any U.S. president who seriously considers launching nuclear weapons should lose the authority to remain in the White House. The former Fox News host made the explosive argument while discussing the danger of nuclear escalation.
Tucker Carlson said Donald Trump should be removed immediately if he actively considers the first use of nuclear weapons
Tucker Carlson made the comments on The Tucker Carlson Show, released Friday, while examining the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran (via Newsweek). He stressed that he once opposed both of Trump’s impeachment efforts, calling them “absurd.” Nuclear first use, however, would represent something entirely different in his view.
Carlson didn’t mince words when laying out his position. He argued that any national leader willing to consider launching a nuclear strike should immediately lose the public’s trust and “has to be removed immediately.”
Carlson also pointed to what he described as discussions inside the Pentagon about tactical nuclear weapons. He tied those concerns to Trump’s past remarks on Iran, including a warning from April in which the president said, “a whole civilization will die tonight,” if Tehran refused to meet U.S. demands.
Carlson’s comments are part of a much larger break with Trump and the Republican establishment. In June, he said he was walking away from the GOP and wanted to help build a third political party. He later called nuclear conflict and artificial intelligence humanity’s two biggest dangers, arguing that those in charge have not shown they are prepared to handle either threat.
Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly drawn a line at Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. His administration explored military options involving the country’s underground Fordow site, but the president has also said America does not need nuclear weapons and that they should never be used.
The last time the United States conducted a nuclear detonation was in 1992. Trump previously sparked another debate by floating a return to nuclear testing, although his later remarks shifted toward “denuclearization” and “de-escalation.”
