President Donald Trump dished out a pointed response to Tucker Carlson after the political pundit accused him of forgoing his “America First” philosophy by being “complicit” in Israel’s “act of war” following Israel’s military strikes on Iran last week.
In a new interview with “The Atlantic,” Trump fired back at Carlson’s claims, declaring to the outlet that the principle “America First” means whatever he wants it to since he was “the one that developed” it.
“Well, considering that I’m the one that developed ‘America First,’ and considering that the term wasn’t used until I came along, I think I’m the one that decides that,” Trump said in the story published Saturday.
He added: “For those people who say they want peace—you can’t have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon. So for all of those wonderful people who don’t want to do anything about Iran having a nuclear weapon—that’s not peace.”
Trump’s comments came after Carlson published a newsletter Friday slamming Trump, who previously praised the former Fox News host on multiple occasions, over supporting Israel’s military attacks on Iran.
“While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the U.S. at the center of last night’s events,” the newsletter reads, according to multiple outlets.
Tucker claimed in the newsletter that “our country is in deep.”
“They aided Israel in carrying them out. Politicians purporting to be America First can’t now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with it. Our country is in deep,” the newsletter continued.
Carlson, a longtime media ally of Trump, then accused the president of being “complicit.”
“Despite being complicit in the act of war, the president hopes last night’s events will help his ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran,” the newsletter added.
In a late night post Saturday on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump denied the country’s involvement in the attack on Iran.
“The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight,” Trump wrote. “If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.”
Trump added: “However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!”
