Tucker Carlson Agrees That Donald Trump Betrayed His Voters

Tucker Carlson agreed with economist Jeffrey Sachs's criticism of Donald Trump, saying the president had been "betraying his own voters and his own country." Carlson is a former Fox News host and one of the most prominent voices in the president's movement. The remark aired on his show Wednesday night, six days before the midterm elections.

Carlson made the comment near the end of an interview with Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University economist. He was agreeing with Sachs, who had argued that Trump broke a 2024 campaign promise to end America's wars in the Middle East. Sachs made the sharper accusations. Carlson's own line was shorter, but it was an unusually direct break with the president.

What Tucker Carlson Said About Trump

Sachs closed his argument by saying that "Donald Trump did us a favor, because he campaigned in 2024 to end these wars." He went on: "Okay, he broke his promise very vulgarly, but he opened the eyes of the American people."

Carlson replied: "I am so grateful that you said that, because I was making this case at dinner last night with someone, that for all the sting of the betrayal and the horror and the outrage you feel at watching what's happening, it is also Trump that by betraying his own voters and his own country revealed the deep architecture of our government."

He gave the point only a short extension, saying that "once you see it, you" and letting Sachs finish the sentence with "can change it." After Sachs said "we don't want this anymore," Carlson added: "And I don't think we're going to get it anymore."

Trump declared victory in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024, and told supporters that night: "I'm not going to start a war, I'm going to stop the wars," the Kyiv Independent reported.

Jeffrey Sachs's Claims About Netanyahu and the Iran War

Sachs blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the war. He said Trump took the country "to a disastrous war in Iran because Bibi told him to do so." According to Sachs, the strikes came "in the midst of negotiations that were actually leading to a settlement," and he argued that "they went to war to prevent a negotiated settlement and went to war to kill the people negotiating."

Those are Sachs's own characterizations. The claim that Netanyahu directed Trump's decision has not been established. Sachs also said the U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28 killed Iran's Supreme Leader along with other leaders, and that much is documented. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening salvo, and Iranian state television confirmed his death, Agence France-Presse reported. AFP also reported that Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Khamenei, and Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Revolutionary Guards, were killed. Sachs went further, saying dozens of leaders died and that they had gathered to discuss the next round of diplomacy with the United States. Those details are his account alone; he offered no source for them on the program.

What the record does show is that diplomacy was active when the bombs fell. Oman's foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, had been mediating between Washington and Tehran, and he said after the strikes that "active and serious negotiations between the United States and Iran have once again been undermined".

Sachs also faulted Trump for his intervention in Israel's election, which took place Tuesday: "Trump could not resist in the last few days endorsing Netanyahu after everything." Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Truth Social on October 18, nine days before the vote. He called him "a Great Warrior Prime Minister," CBS News reported. Exit polls showed no clear winner.

How Republicans View the Iran War

Most Republicans still support the war, but their support has slipped since the spring. A Pew Research Center survey conducted September 28 to October 4 found that 63 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents approved of Trump's handling of the war, down from 69 percent in March. Among all adults, 65 percent disapproved.

Support for Israel among Republicans has also softened. In Gallup's February poll, 70 percent of Republicans said they sympathized more with Israelis, a drop of 10 points since 2024. Across all Americans, 41 percent sided more with Palestinians and 36 percent with Israelis. It was the first time since Gallup began asking in 2001 that Israelis did not hold the lead.

The president's overall standing heading into the midterms is weak. Trump's approval stands at 37.6 percent in PolitiKool's polling average, and regular gas averages $4.27 a gallon on PolitiKool's gas price tracker.

What Happens Next

Sachs predicted that the next presidential race will turn on the issue. "A candidate has to explain, I'm not going to do what Trump did," he said. "The one that is convincing on that is going to win the presidency."

Midterm voters go to the polls Tuesday. It is not yet clear whether the Republicans who have soured on the war will vote on it.