Journalist Tucker Carlson called to apologize to President Donald Trump after he criticized him for betraying his America First movement by supporting the Israeli missile strikes on Iran last week.
Trump revealed that Carlson had called him after the president called him out as 'kooky' on Monday and taunted him for not being on cable television anymore .
'Tucker's a nice guy. He called and apologized the other day because he thought he said things that were a little bit too strong and I appreciated that,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
Carlson criticized Trump's support for the Israeli strikes in Iran, noting in a newsletter published monday that 'many in Trump's MAGA movement are not happy.'
Carlson stated, "'The US claims it had 'no involvement,' but this statement is incorrect. Trump is implicated in an act of war.'"
Throughout much of this week, the president has found himself at the center of an ideological divide within his core group of MAGA supporters, with various groups taking differing stances. expressed their backing or resistance against the Israeli conflict with Iran .
On Monday, both Carlson and ex-political consultant Steve Bannon featured as guests on each other’s podcasts, expressing increasing concern that the president might be initiating yet another protracted conflict in the Middle East.
They concurred that involving the United States in another conflict would spell 'the end of his time in office' for the president unless he changed direction.
However, both Bannon and Carlson moderated their critiques as part of an attempt to bring together both factions.
On Wednesday during an event, Bannon told journalists that Trump could influence his supporters to back his stance on military action in Iran if he presented a compelling argument.
"If President Trump chooses to take such action, knowing his abilities as an effective communicator, he would explain everything thoroughly to the public, and regarding the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement—I understand there might be some objections—but most members of the MAGA movement will likely respond with something like, 'we trust your judgment; you’ve guided us through similar situations before... even if we dislike it, we'll support you,'” he stated.
The president stated on Wednesday from the Oval Office that he hadn’t yet decided if he would employ US military power against Iran. However, he mentioned he was going to the Situation Room for what he referred to as a 'War Room' meeting.
Trump also indicated earlier Wednesday that he had run out of patience with the Iranian regime to make a deal.
'They have already exhausted it,' he stated. 'They were given 60 days… more than enough time, yet they erred.'
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