By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Right-wing broadcaster admits misleading supporters and takes responsibility for Trump’s return as war on Iran deepens.

Key Developments

• Tucker Carlson said he is “tormented” by his role in helping Donald Trump return to power.
• He admitted he “misled” supporters and said backers are “implicated” in the ongoing Iran war.
• Carlson called for “restrictions” and “redlines” in US policy toward Israel.

‘Tormented’

Tucker Carlson said on Monday, during an episode of The Tucker Carlson Show, that he regrets supporting Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and is “tormented” by the consequences, particularly the ongoing war on Iran.

In a recorded conversation with his brother, Republican operative Buckley Carlson, the former Fox News host said that those who backed Trump share responsibility for the current escalation.

“You and I and everyone else who supported him… we’re implicated in this for sure,” Carlson said.

“It’s not enough to say, ‘I changed my mind’… in very small ways, but in real ways, you and me and millions of people like us are the reason this is happening right now.”

Carlson said he expects to carry that responsibility.

“We’ll be tormented by it for a long time. I will be,” he said.

“And I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people. It was not intentional.”

Break with Trump

Carlson’s remarks mark a sharp break with Trump, whom he supported throughout the 2024 campaign, including public appearances and media backing in the final days before the election.

Since the start of US military operations linked to the Iran war, Carlson has increasingly criticized the president.

He previously described the operation as “absolutely disgusting and evil,” and said Trump had abandoned his long-standing pledges to avoid new wars.

In Monday’s episode, Carlson questioned whether the war had been anticipated.

“But the question is, what is this? Was this always the plan?” he said.

He added that there had been “signs of low character,” referring to Trump, while suggesting those warnings had been overlooked.

Carlson also accused Trump of prioritizing specific political and financial interests.

“The only people he has been loyal to are the neocons and his donors,” he said.

The comments come as divisions widen within right-wing circles over the war, particularly regarding US support for Israel and military involvement in Iran.

TUCKER CARLSON: “I’ll be tormented for a long time by the fact that I played a role in getting Donald Trump elected. And I want to say that I’m sorry for misleading people.”

This is a very humble and honest statement. Big respect to Tucker. pic.twitter.com/dyMgrsRAP8

— Stew Peters (@realstewpeters) April 21, 2026

Anti-War Sentiments

Recent polling reflects that broader backlash.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on April 21 found Trump’s overall approval at 36 percent, with only 36 percent approving of US strikes on Iran.

The same poll found just 26 percent said the military action had been worth its costs, while only 25 percent believed the strikes would make the United States safer.

Other April polling pointed in the same direction. Ipsos reported on April 13 that only 24 percent of Americans said the decision to take military action in Iran had been worth it, while 51 percent said it had not.

In a separate March Ipsos poll, 66 percent said the US should move quickly to end its involvement in the conflict even if it meant not achieving all of its goals in Iran, while 58 percent disapproved of US military strikes and 55 percent opposed deploying any troops inside Iran.

Pro-Palestine Shift

Public attitudes toward Israel have also shifted sharply.

Gallup reported in late February that 46 percent of Americans now sympathize more with the Palestinians, compared with 28 percent who sympathize more with Israelis.

Among adults aged 18 to 34, 53 percent said they sympathize more with Palestinians, while just 23 percent said they sympathize more with Israelis.

Pew Research Center reported on April 7 that Americans’ views of Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu had “turned more negative,” especially among younger adults, underscoring the widening erosion of support that has accompanied Israel’s wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and now the US-Israeli assault on Iran.

Within this context, Carlson doubled down on his frequent criticism of Israel. In his latest podcast, he called for a shift in US policy toward Israel, saying Washington should “detach” and treat it “as an ally but with restrictions and reservations, and redlines.”

The remarks are part of a broader and increasingly public rift between Carlson and Trump since the outbreak of the Iran war.

Trump recently criticized Carlson in a social media post, calling him “a Low IQ person” and “highly overrated,” while threatening to rank supporters based on loyalty.

Carlson, who had previously been one of Trump’s most visible media allies, has in recent weeks emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the administration’s Iran policy.

Only someone who wrote speeches for Donald Trump in 2015, voted for him three times and lost friends defending him can fully understand how painful the current betrayal is. Uncle Buck explains.

0:00 Monologue
2:20 Why Did Buckley Support Trump So Early On?
13:14 John McCain… pic.twitter.com/AV5yxiUopv

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 20, 2026

(Independent, The Hill, Reuters, Ipsos, Gallup; Pew, PC)