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President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Tucker Carlson recently called to apologize for critical comments about Trump’s stance on Iran, signaling a truce between the president and the influential conservative media personality.
“Tucker is a nice guy,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “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’s remarks came in response to questions about a tense exchange on Carlson’s show with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in which the former Fox News host criticized Cruz for supporting regime change in Iran. Trump downplayed any fallout with Cruz, calling him a “nice guy” and adding, “He’s been with me for a long time, I’d say once the race was over.”
Trump reiterated his opposition to allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, saying it remains a red line for him and his supporters.
“My supporters are America first,” Trump said. “They make America great again. My supporters don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
He emphasized that while he does not seek conflict, he would act if necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear capabilities.
“I don’t want to fight either. I’m not looking to fight,” Trump said. “But if it’s a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to. You have to do what you have to do.”
Trump added that he questioned Carlson directly during their phone call. “I asked him if he was OK with nuclear weapons being in the hands of Iran,” he said. “He sort of didn’t like that… I said, ‘well, if it’s OK with you, then you and I do have a difference,’ but it’s really not OK with him.”
Carlson had previously sparked debate with a June 13 social media post criticizing those urging U.S. military action in the Middle East, calling them “warmongers” and warning that such involvement could be politically disastrous.
“The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers,” Carlson wrote.