Tucker Carlson won’t be defending the Republican Party, says ‘I’m out’ as there is ‘no chance’ he would support them in midterms

Tucker Carlson said on a podcast that he will not back the Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections. Carlson made the comments on the show Can’t Be Censored. He pointed out that he has been a vocal supporter of conservative politics for decades, including during his time as one of Fox News Channel’s most popular hosts.

“I’ve been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party, I mean very consistent defender, but there’s no defending this,” he said. “So no, I’m out. And if I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out.” He also said that  “There’s no chance I would support the Republican Party.” The ex-Fox News host added that he would also not support the Democratic Party. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said. 

Carlson was fired from Fox News in 2023 and has since built a large following on his own podcast. As he shared during his appearance on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, his break from the Republican Party has also grown stronger following President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran in February.

Carlson’s break from the party followed his apology over backing Trump in 2024

Carlson supported Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign. After the war with Iran began, Carlson apologized for backing Trump’s candidacy and said he had been “misleading people,” adding that this had not been intentional, per The Guardian.

Carlson has repeatedly criticized the war, as reported by the NY Times, saying it was being fought at the request of Israel and at the expense of Americans. In earlier remarks, Carlson also described Trump in starkly personal terms, saying the president was being controlled by outside forces. He has also said the Republican Party has failed to represent its own voters, citizens, and the nation.

“They are making decisions on the basis of other criteria, what’s best for this company, what’s best for Israel, what’s best for our donors,” Carlson said. He went on to describe this approach in stronger terms, saying, “That’s not just, like, they are off in the wrong direction, like, that is unacceptable, that’s treasonous, it’s immoral, it can’t continue.”

The comments came about two months after Carlson said he regretted supporting Trump. He had previously delivered an even sharper criticism of Trump’s record, telling viewers in an on-air message about the president’s failures that he had not done enough for ordinary Americans.

Carlson did not say in the podcast episode whether he would support any other party or candidates ahead of the midterms. The November midterms are expected to include contests across the country that could shape the balance of power in Congress.