Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Tucker Carlson has gone “off the rails” regarding the United States’s foreign policy.
Cruz’s comments follow the Wednesday morning release of his testy appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, which was conducted right after the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated last week. During the interview, Carlson challenged Cruz over whether he believed Iran has tried to kill President Donald Trump, arguing the senator would have called for “military strikes against them in retaliation” if so. Cruz responded by saying, “We are carrying out military strikes today,” before being pressed to clarify that Israel is doing so with American help and later insisting, “We’re not bombing them. Israel is bombing them.”
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Cruz commented on the exchange on his podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz, on Wednesday.
“I will say on foreign policy, Tucker has gone batcrap crazy,” Cruz said. “He’s gone off the rails. He is suddenly a hardcore isolationist.”
“He asked about a month ago, ‘Hey, I’d like to come interview you.’ And I knew he was coming in to interview me and it was not going to be pleasant,” Cruz added. “He disagrees with me on foreign policy, so we were going to have a rough and tumble fight.”
Regarding the alleged Iranian ties to assassination plots against Trump, Cruz cited how the U.S. Department of Justice has charged several involved hitmen.
The Texas senator also directed criticism toward Carlson for his past comments against Trump, claiming the commentator has “blasted Trump as complicit” in the ongoing conflict. Cruz scolded Carlson’s view that anyone supporting Israel and opposing Iran is “a crazy warmonger,” adding that he believes this view is “wrong” and that Trump is “defending America” while “standing up” to Iran.
Despite Cruz’s foreign policy grievances with Carlson, the senator said he agrees with him “on 80% of the issues,” specifically praising Carlson’s commentary during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.
JOHN BOLTON: TRUMP ‘CONFLICTED’ OVER ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT BECAUSE HE’S ‘NOT THE STAR OF THE SHOW’
TRUMP SAYS TUCKER CALLED TO APOLOGIZE: "Tucker's a nice guy. He called and apologized the other day because he thought he said things that were a little bit too strong. And I appreciated that."pic.twitter.com/48Mdlqc0hU
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 18, 2025
Regarding Cruz’s testy exchange on Carlson’s show, Trump told the press Wednesday that Carlson had called to apologize for saying things that were “too strong.” Trump said Carlson was “a nice guy” for doing so. The president also insisted that his supporters are “America first” and do not want Iran to get a nuclear weapon.
Cruz confirmed that he will further “break down” his interview with Carlson on his podcast on Friday.