Tucker Carlson is not leaving the GOP. He wants to take it over [View all]

https://www.salon.com/2026/06/26/tucker-carlson-is-not-leaving-the-gop-he-wants-to-take-it-over/

Tucker Carlson is not leaving the GOP. He wants to take it over
The podcast host envisions a more radical Republican Party
By Amanda Marcotte
Published June 26, 2026 6:45AM

Tucker Carlson knows how to get attention. The former Fox News host-turned-powerhouse podcaster got explosive headlines after telling a Canadian podcast “Can’t Be Censored” last week that “there’s no chance I would support the Republican Party” in the upcoming midterms.

Mainstream news outlets portrayed this move in laudatory terms. Carlson is an opponent of the Iran war, so the coverage made it seem like he’s moderating his politics. Words like “disillusioned” were invoked, along with his criticisms of Donald Trump for ignoring the economic woes caused by the war.

This is a lovely fable of a longtime Republican loyalist breaking with his party because it’s grown too extreme and out-of-touch. Add a hopeful note about how this could demobilize conservative voters for the midterms, and watch the views and clicks roll in.

While factually accurate, stories about Carlson’s departure from the GOP didn’t quite capture the dark realities of the situation. Readers walked away with a sense that he’s trying to be a voice of reason in a party that’s too Trump-drunk to recognize they are driving off a cliff. But while Carlson is right that the Iran war is a folly, the bigger story here is not one of moderation, but extremism. Carlson isn’t interested in bringing Republicans to the light. His goal is to push them deeper into the darkness. He’s almost certainly not leaving the Republican Party so much as plotting to take it over — with the goal of making it even more radical, racist and authoritarian than it already is under Trump.

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