Carlson says – On Wednesday, Tucker Carlson used remarks from President Donald Trump’s comments about being “99%” popular in Israel to argue Trump has “diminished American power” in ways Carlson called “unimaginable,” tying the criticism to Trump’s Iran war posture, oil-pric
On Wednesday, Tucker Carlson didn’t spend his time easing into the criticism. He went straight at the image he thinks the Trump presidency has been building—one that, in his view, leaves the United States weaker.
During an edition of The Tucker Carlson Show. the former Fox News host said President Donald Trump has not only failed to make America “great again. ” but has instead “diminished American power.” The argument sharpened around a single detail Carlson said Trump highlighted Tuesday: Trump’s claim that he’s “at 99% [approval] in Israel. ” adding. “I could run for prime minister. So, maybe after I do this, I’ll go to Israel and run for prime minister. I had a poll this morning. I’m 99%, so that’s good.”.
Carlson reacted in a segment that ran from 8:50 to 11:00, calling it a betrayal of priorities. “The president of the United States bragging about his popularity in a foreign country,” he said. Carlson then pointed to what he described as Trump’s weaker standing at home: “Unmentioned is the fact that he’s 35% in the United States.” Carlson framed that 35% as Americans’ support—the people he said Trump pledged to represent. fight for. and take the other side in every conflict. foreign and domestic.
From there. Carlson tied his anger to the Iran war he says Trump helped launch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February. Carlson said Trump’s move toward the conflict—after Carlson unsuccessfully lobbied Trump against it—has left Washington dealing with consequences that show up in everyday life. He cited the war’s impact on global shipping and energy: he said Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. which he said has sent oil and gas prices “skyrocketing.” Carlson also connected that spike to the inflationary pressures he attributed to Trump’s tariffs.
Carlson made the criticism broader than any one moment. He suggested Trump has spent “the last year” looking outward for the approval of other nations. In his telling. the president has fought “for people who are not his voters. ” and in many cases. Carlson said. not even Americans. He accused the administration of letting the country “languish” while seeking validation elsewhere.
“The last year has not made America great again,” Carlson said. “The last year has diminished American power at a rate some of us thought was unimaginable.” He added that he couldn’t have foreseen “less than a year and a half ago” the damage he believes the administration—“led by that president. for whom we campaigned and liked personally”—could do.
The dispute now sits at the intersection of domestic politics and U.S.-Israel policy. and Carlson’s remarks have already triggered a direct response from the White House. This week, he appeared on an Israeli news program and had a tense exchange with the host. He again accused Netanyahu of goading Trump into war with Iran. The White House later blasted Carlson as “a low-IQ person who spreads fake news for cheap publicity.”.
Carlson’s Iran-war criticism also echoes a separate claim about the origins and framing of the conflict. The New York Times reported in April that Netanyahu gave a presentation to Trump in the White House Situation Room in February. In that presentation. Netanyahu reportedly claimed an attack on Iran would likely topple its regime. which could be replaced by a government more friendly to the United States and Israel.
What Carlson seized on Wednesday wasn’t only the substance of Trump’s relationship to Netanyahu or the conflict with Iran. It was the way Trump is portrayed as measuring approval—and where he appears to seek it. In Carlson’s telling. the president’s boast about being “99%” in Israel. set against the claims Carlson makes about turmoil abroad and pressure at home. becomes evidence of a presidency that. for all its certainty. has pulled U.S. power in the opposite direction.
Tucker Carlson Donald Trump American power Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Iran war Strait of Hormuz oil prices tariffs White House response New York Times report