{"id":90788,"date":"2026-04-12T14:44:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fallsurfing.net\/firstnews\/tucker-carlson-trump-is-not-free-to-do-what-he-thinks-is-best-for-america-on-iran-and-israel\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T14:44:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:44:02","slug":"tucker-carlson-trump-is-not-free-to-do-what-he-thinks-is-best-for-america-on-iran-and-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fallsurfing.net\/firstnews\/tucker-carlson-trump-is-not-free-to-do-what-he-thinks-is-best-for-america-on-iran-and-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Tucker Carlson: Trump Is Not Free To Do What He Thinks Is Best For America on Iran and Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tucker Carlson said during an interview with BBC’s “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg,” that he feels sorry for his longtime friend, President Donald Trump, who allowed himself to be tricked into trying to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-calling it “the single biggest mistake any American president in my lifetime has made.” “That’s a demand the Israelis have made of the U.S. government for decades. President Trump fell for it, did it,” Tucker said. “And I think he recognized immediately that it was a mistake.” “I haven’t fallen out with him. I’ve known him for decades, and I think anyone who’s spent time with him likes him. I feel sorry for him, as I do for all slaves. He is not free in this moment at all to do what he thinks is best for himself or his country.” “And we learned that yesterday when Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, clearly with relief, and made its terms-or most of its terms-public. Then that ceasefire ended within two hours because Israel intentionally violated the terms by attacking not just southern Lebanon but the city of Beirut,” he said. “I don’t think it is as simple as he is under the control of Netanyahu, but you could certainly summarize it that way, and you wouldn’t be totally inaccurate.” Vice President Vance called<\/a> Israel’s increased attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon in the hours after the Iran ceasefire went into effect a “legitimate misunderstanding,” but it was certainly one of the issues that led negotiations to fail over the weekend in Pakistan<\/a>. “All American presidents since 1963 have done substantially what Israel wanted us to do, and now it’s really hurting us. And so the problem is not simply Trump,” Carlson said. “The problem is the mechanism of control that allows a country of 9 million to control a country of 350 million. What is that mechanism? I’m not sure I know. We need to find out.” “As commander-in-chief, he could have said no to Benjamin Netanyahu,” BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg replied. Former Secretary of State John Kerry recently said<\/a> Netanyahu had made similar requests several times over the last 20 years. “He made a presentation to ask us to strike. President Obama refused. President Biden refused. President Bush had refused.” “You’re absolutely right,” Tucker said. “They did, and I wish our current president had, but he didn’t.” “But it is the system, because the last president [Biden] financed the Gaza genocide, and President [Obama] before him, same thing.” Carlson also suggested that First Lady Melania Trump’s recent surprise announcement<\/a> that she had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein reminds him that “the Israeli government has a long and well-documented track record of using sex scandal, or the appearance of scandal, to force American political leaders into doing its bidding.” “You hope it wasn’t that,” Tucker Carlson said. He referred to Israeli intelligence’s alleged relationship with Monica Lewinsky and the Clinton White House in a written response<\/a> to President Trump’s “Truth Social” post<\/a> denouncing Tucker as “Low IQ.” BBC’s Kuenssberg continued challenging him: “Pretty much everything that you’ve said in our conversation, Tucker Carlson, you have put at the door of the Israeli government. To some people, that will be evidence that you are anti-Semitic.” “First of all, the state of Israel does not speak for all Jews at all-despite its claims,” Tucker replied. “There are many, many Jews, many of whom I know, who don’t think the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu speaks for them. I’m speaking of the government, not religion.” The BBC presenter said that all sounds pretty “anti-Semitic” but Tucker Carlson refused to engage with that as a serious criticism. “I’ve been in this business longer than you, and I know what a slur looks like,” Tucker said. “You were attempting to call me anti-Semitic in a passive-aggressive way. I’m responding to your slur and saying it is untrue. It does not apply to me. Doubtless, there are anti-semites who don’t like Israel. I’m not an anti-semite. I don’t hate Israel.” “The Israeli government-this is documented, and I saw it personally-steered the United States into a war that hurts the United States and the world,” he said. “I’m offended by that. I didn’t want it, and I’m mad about it now. I have every right to feel that way. That does not make me an anti-semite, despite your insinuation.” “I think it’s important to push back against slurs like that because they limit our ability to understand what’s actually happening,” Tucker Carlson said. “This is not an attack by Jews on the United States. This is Benjamin Netanyahu moving the United States to do something he thinks will benefit him, but that does not benefit us. It’s that simple.” Direct transcript: <\/p>\n

LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: I asked Tucker Carlson first for his reaction to the U.S. leader saying the Iran war had made the United States safer. TUCKER CARLSON: The whole thing is a fantasy. The United States went to war in Iran in order to effect regime change-to throw out the people who ran the country and collapse it-at the behest and demand of Israel. That’s a demand the Israelis have made of the U.S. government for decades. President Trump fell for it, did it. I think he recognized immediately that it was a mistake. It’s very hard to extricate yourself from a war like this once it has begun. I think the net effect-and the president himself has said this-is at best to leave the [Iranian] regime in place, give that regime control over commodities that flow through the straits at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf, and in effect to make Iran much more powerful than it was on February 27th. LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: You have been, until now, really a huge supporter of his. You wanted him elected, obviously, for a second term. Have you completely fallen out with him over this war then? TUCKER CARLSON: Well, I haven’t fallen out with him. I’ve known him for decades. I’ve always liked him, and I think anyone who’s spent time with him likes him. I feel sorry for him, as I do for all slaves. He is not free in this moment at all to do what he thinks is best for himself or his country. LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: Of course, he’s free. What do you mean? TUCKER CARLSON: No, he’s not free. And we learned that yesterday when Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, clearly with relief, and made its terms-or most of its terms-public. Then that ceasefire ended within two hours because Israel intentionally violated the terms by attacking not just southern Lebanon but the city of Beirut. LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: So are you saying he’s a slave to Benjamin Netanyahu? TUCKER CARLSON: I don’t think it’s as simple as “he’s under the control of Netanyahu,” but you could summarize it that way, and you wouldn’t be totally inaccurate. Again, we know this because the single biggest mistake Trump-or any American president in my lifetime-has made was going to war with Iran in an effort to change its regime. [Video skips question about Keir Starmer and censorship in the UK] LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: You have said that you have been called anti-semitic because of your opposition to the US joining Israel in fighting this war. Yes. In March, senior Republican Senator Ted Cruz said, “Anti-semitism is being spread by loud voices, the most consequential of whom is Tucker Carlson.” Republican Congressman Randy Fine called you “the most dangerous anti-semite in America.” What do you say to that? TUCKER CARLSON: Of course, I’m not an anti-semite, and that’s why they’re calling me one, because my position on Israel has nothing to do with the religion or ethnicity of Israelis. It has everything to do with decisions made by its government that hurt my country. And so, in order to avoid having that debate, the fastest and most expedient way to end it is by calling the person trying to raise it a bigot. And I just don’t think that works anymore. I would say that what matters in politics and in life is what you do. I think anti-semitism and racism of all kinds, including anti-white racism, are all immoral and anti-Christian, and I oppose them. You shouldn’t judge people on the basis of how they were born. Period. [Video skips question about Nick Fuentes] LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: You’ve claimed a couple of times in our conversation that Donald Trump is not in control. Many Democrats, and also some on the right, former Trump allies like Marjorie Taylor Greene, are now calling for the president’s removal, with some citing the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and the cabinet to declare that a president is no longer able to do the job. Do you want to see him removed? TUCKER CARLSON: I want to see the system reformed. All American presidents since 1963 have done substantially what Israel wanted us to do, and now it’s really hurting us. And so the problem is not simply Trump. The problem is the mechanism of control that allows a country of 9 million to control a country of 350 million. What is that mechanism? I’m not sure I know the answer. We need to find out. LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: As commander-in-chief, he could have said no to Benjamin Netanyahu. Other presidents have-Joe Biden, Barack Obama. TUCKER CARLSON: You’re absolutely right, and I made that point, and you’re absolutely right. They did, and I wish our president had, but he didn’t. So it’s not the system. LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: He went into a war. TUCKER CARLSON: Well, it is the system, because the last president financed the Gaza genocide. The president before him, same thing. LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: I wanted to ask you about Melania Trump press conference, uh, very unusual, where she denied connections to Jeffrey Epstein and said that any claims linking her and him need to end today. What do you think is going on there? TUCKER CARLSON: Strictly speaking, I don’t know what’s going on there. I know the White House communication staff had no idea she was going to say that. So it’s one of two possibilities. Either she was reading speculation about her relationship with Epstein on the internet and she was upset and wanted to clear her name, which is totally possible, or there was something else going on. The Israeli government has a long and well documented track record of using sex scandal or the appearance of scandal to force American political leaders into doing its bidding. You hope it wasn’t that. But I did notice that within an hour or two after that press conference, a piece came out, I think, in the Daily Beast alleging some connection between Melania Trump and Epstein, which was obviously hurtful to her and embarrassing to the first family. So, I don’t know if there’s any kind of connection, but I do know, once again, this is a fact that sex scandals are used probably not just by the Israeli government, probably lots of foreign governments. It’s not just the Israelis. I just want to be clear. LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: I mean, I am going to point out-I probably don’t need to because our audience can see and hear for themselves-pretty much everything that you’ve said in our conversation, Tucker Carlson, you have put at the door of the Israeli government. Now, to some people, that will be evidence that you are anti-Semitic. You are anti-Jewish. TUCKER CARLSON:Oh, I know I’m very anti-Semitic and anti- First of all, the state of Israel does not speak for all Jews at all. Despite its claims, it does not. There are many, many Jews, many of whom I know, who don’t think the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu speaks for them. I’m speaking of the government, not religion. No, hold on. LAURA KUENSSBURG, BBC: Hold on. I wasn’t suggesting that you were suggesting. TUCKER CALRSON: Of course you were. I’ve been in this business longer than you, and I know what a slur looks like. And you were attempting to call me anti-Semitic in a passive-aggressive way. I’m responding to your slur and saying it is untrue. “Some people would say that.” It does not apply to me. Doubtless there are anti-semites who don’t like Israel. I’m not an anti-semite. I don’t hate Israel. The Israeli government-this is documented, and I saw it personally-steered the United States into a war that hurts the United States and the world. I’m offended by that. I didn’t want it, and I’m mad about it now. I have every right to feel that way. That does not make me an anti-semite, despite your insinuation. And I think it’s important that I say that. And by the way, I hope that you run this. I can’t control whether or not you air this exchange. I hope that you will, because I think it’s important to push back against slurs like that because they limit our ability to understand what’s actually happening. This is not an attack by Jews on the United States. This is Benjamin Netanyahu moving the United States to do something he thinks will benefit him, but that does not benefit us. It’s that simple.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here is the full video, which doesn’t skip questions related to other subjects: