Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly are turning on Trump over Iran, but he just declared they were never really MAGA anyway
“Tucker Carlson” by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0.
MAGA has a new civil war brewing.
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President Donald Trump has pushed back strongly against criticism from prominent conservative commentators Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson over his ongoing military actions against Iran. Trump insists that he, not his critics, truly represents the voice of the MAGA movement, even as polling on the military operation shows very low public support.
Kelly openly shared her “serious doubts” about the airstrikes and questioned whether the deaths of U.S. service members were truly justified. Tucker Carlson went further, calling the bombing campaign “absolutely disgusting and evil.” Even Erik Prince, a mercenary businessman and known Trump donor, expressed his dissatisfaction, saying he was “not happy about the whole thing.”
According to the Independent, Trump is not backing down. In an interview with the independent D.C. newsletter The Inner Circle, he said his base remains firmly behind him. “I have to do what’s right, number one, and you can’t have Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That’s predominant to me,” he stated, laying out his core reason for the military actions.
Trump’s claim that MAGA belongs to him alone, not his conservative critics, points to a real and growing split on the right
Trump directly fired back at Kelly and Carlson, making a bold claim about their standing with his base. “I think that MAGA is Trump, MAGA’s not the other two,” he said. “MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I’m doing, every aspect of it.” He views the conflict as a necessary “detour” to keep the United States and other nations safe.
Trump also pointed out that Kelly “was opposed to me for years when I ran the first time and nothing stopped me,” confidently adding, “They always come back.” Public support for the operation, named “Operation Epic Fury,” is very low. Polling shows only one in four Americans support it.
Even among Republican voters, 23 percent believe Trump has been too quick to use military force. Operation Epic Fury has split Trump’s MAGA base straight down the middle, with some of his most loyal supporters now openly questioning his decisions.
As of Monday evening, six U.S. service members have been killed in Iranian reprisal strikes. Trump has not ruled out deploying ground troops, though he has offered conflicting timelines and objectives for the operation.
On her SiriusXM show, before the updated casualty numbers were released, Kelly was direct and emotional. “I don’t think those four service members died for the United States. I think they died for Iran or for Israel… this feels very much to me like it is clearly Israel’s war,” she said. She made clear she voted for Trump and campaigned for him, but said that does not mean blindly accepting another Middle East war.
“Anyone who tells you that can s— it,” Kelly declared, and added: “There is nothing unpatriotic, or unsupportive of one’s conservatism, to say ‘I would like to be better convinced that this is worth the sacrifice of American blood and treasure.’”
This is not the first time Trump has made big claims about Iran’s nuclear program. In June 2025, he said his initial attack had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, a claim that U.S. intelligence assessments reportedly did not support.
Trump has also said he has three candidates ready to lead Iran after a potential regime change, though he has refused to name who they are. The fact that the conflict is still going on suggests the issue is far from resolved.
Published: Mar 3, 2026 12:15 pm