Granderson: Tucker Carlson’s reversal on Trump is a familiar script |
5 min Click here to listen to this article
Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! Print
Copy Link URL Copied!
This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
Tucker Carlson apologized this week for “misleading” voters into supporting Trump’s return, continuing a familiar pattern of former loyalists — from James Mattis to Elon Musk — breaking with the president over specific disagreements.
Carlson’s breaking point was Trump’s escalating Iran war, contradicting the president’s 2024 campaign promise to end endless conflicts, prompting the former Fox host to voice buyer’s remorse publicly.
Yet despite the apology, Carlson remained ideologically aligned with Trump’s base, still calling progressives “lunatics” — suggesting his disagreement is tactical rather than fundamental.
This week Tucker Carlson apologized for unintentionally “misleading” voters into supporting President Trump’s return to the White House. The apology came days after the president called Carlson dumb and overrated on social media. We’ve seen this plot before: It’s a different name but the same story.
Recall the president’s first term was closely shadowed by high-profile breakups from loyalists who disagreed with him on matters of substance. For example, the split with his first Defense secretary, James Mattis, began in 2017 when Mattis, a man who spent more than four decades in uniform, defended the importance of NATO. His successor, Mark Esper, found himself at odds with the president for refusing to use the military on citizens. On his way out the door, Esper told the country that if his replacement was “a real ‘yes man’ … then God help us.”
Some of the highlights from Trump’s second term include squabbles with his biggest donor, Elon Musk, who was upset the president wasn’t lowering the national debt enough; with former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene because millions of Americans faced losing health insurance; and with Rep. Thomas Massie for having the audacity to seek justice for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex-trafficking operation.
Now it........