Carlson says Trump put Israel before US interests
Tucker Carlson intensified criticism of Trump's Middle East policy, accusing president of sacrificing American lives, resources and strategic interests to support Israel while neglecting the needs of US citizens
NEW YORK (MNTV) — U.S. conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has accused President Donald Trump of prioritizing Israel’s interests over those of American citizens, intensifying criticism of the administration’s Middle East policy following Republican defeats in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Speaking in a podcast published Thursday on X, Carlson argued that a U.S. president has a fundamental responsibility to put the interests of American citizens first, accusing Trump of abandoning that obligation in favor of Israel.
“It’s wrong for a leader to choose another country over you,” Carlson said, comparing Trump’s policies to a parent providing luxuries for a neighbor’s children while allowing their own children to go hungry.
“That’s just, that’s immoral. That’s exactly what Trump did,” he said. “He chose Israel over the United States. People lie about it, but everyone can see it.”
Carlson’s remarks reflect growing criticism within sections of the American conservative movement over Washington’s unconditional support for Israel, particularly as U.S. involvement in Middle East conflicts carries mounting military, economic and political costs.
He also challenged the strategic rationale behind repeated U.S. military interventions in the region, arguing that Washington has sacrificed American lives, weakened its international standing and accumulated enormous financial burdens through wars that have failed to advance U.S. national interests.
“If your country keeps starting pointless wars in the Middle East on behalf of Israel, and every single time you lose, you diminish your power, you get your own citizens killed, and you incrementally go bankrupt. Maybe at some point they’ll be like, ‘This is a bad idea. We can’t follow Israel to any more wars,'” Carlson said.
He added that Washington’s political establishment had repeatedly avoided confronting what he described as Israel’s influence over American foreign policy, arguing that political pressure and a lack of political courage had prevented a serious reassessment of the US strategic relationship with Israel.
Carlson specifically revisited the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, alleging that Washington entered the war in response to Israeli demands and that the influence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had shaped the decision.
“We did this in the Iraq War over 20 years ago, 23 years ago. We followed Israel’s demands into a war, but that’s been basically a race from history,” he said, adding that people involved in the decision-making process could confirm his account.
Carlson concluded that the growing public visibility of these foreign policy controversies could become a lasting consequence of Trump’s presidency.
“The good news is, as noted, everybody can see it. And that is, in the end, the lasting contribution of Donald Trump,” he said.
The criticism comes at a politically sensitive moment for the Trump administration, following Republican setbacks in the midterm elections and growing debate over the domestic consequences of U.S. military involvement in the Middle East.
Carlson’s intervention also highlights an increasingly visible divide within the Republican coalition between supporters of an interventionist foreign policy and those advocating a more restrained approach centered on domestic priorities.
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