'My Supporters Are...': Trump Says GOP Not Split Over Iran As Tucker, Bannon Lead Divide

Last Updated:June 20, 2025, 19:05 IST

Donald Trump dismissed rumours of criticism from supporters like Tucker Carlson over his stance on the Israel-Iran conflict. Trump said Carlson apologized for grilling Ted Cruz.

Trump faces pushback from loyalists like Bannon and Tucker Carlson over Iran stance but he defends urgency to block nuclear threat from the West Asian nation. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed rumours that some of his biggest supporters such as Tucker Carlson and others in the MAGA base are critical of his stance in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

Donald Trump said that he spoke about his differences of opinion on the subject with Tucker Carlson and that Carlson apologised for his recent interview where he grilled a Trump ally, Texas Republican senator Ted Cruz.

The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read out a message from Trump after what she called “a lot of speculation" about whether the United States would be “directly involved" in the conflict.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in the statement.

The US President, later in the day, while speaking to reporters said that his supporters backed him and they do not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

“My supporters are for me. My supporters are America First and Make America Great Again. My supporters don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon," the US President was quoted as saying by the Washington Times.

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson have emerged as leading voices of dissent within Donald Trump’s own camp, openly warning against US involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict.

Bannon, appearing on Carlson’s podcast this week, cautioned that getting entangled in Iran would “blow up" the Trump coalition and derail key priorities like immigration. Carlson, in turn, joined Bannon’s show and said an escalation could spell “the end of the American empire" and “effectively" end Trump’s presidency.

Meanwhile, a video from Tucker Carlson’s show, which shows him aggressively questioning Republican lawmaker and senator Ted Cruz over his support for Israel in the conflict with Iran.

“Ted Cruz is a nice guy. I mean he’s been with me for a long time," Trump said, and added that he spoke to Carlson, one of the top conservative commentators in the US.

Trump said that Tucker Carlson had called him to apologise, admitting that he “said things that were a little bit too strong".

“If they think it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, then they should oppose me, but nobody thinks it’s OK. People don’t want that," Trump said. “I don’t want to fight, either. But if it’s a choice between fighting and him having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do. Maybe we won’t have to fight. Don’t forget, we haven’t been fighting."

Trump added that he had directly asked Carlson whether he was comfortable with Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, a question that clearly rattled the conservative host.

“He sort of didn’t like that," the president said. “And 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".

Other prominent voices within the MAGA camp have also spoken out against U.S. military intervention in Iran. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, posted a lengthy statement on social media, warning that “foreign wars/intervention/regime change will put America last, kill innocent people, make us broke and will ultimately lead to our destruction."

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance backed President Trump on Wednesday, writing in a post on X that Iran must not be allowed to enrich uranium.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...

Read More

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News world 'My Supporters Are...': Trump Says GOP Not Split Over Iran As Tucker, Bannon Lead Divide