Tucker Carlson has announced his next move following his contentious split with the Republican Party. In an interview published Wednesday by Columbia Journalism Review, the former Fox News host and longtime Donald Trump supporter declared, "I'm going to help build a third party." He emphasized the need for a "good-faith effort to figure out what benefits the country."
Economic Grievances and Political Disillusionment
Carlson argued that in America's current financial state, "if you make sixty thousand dollars a year, you're degraded." He claimed that "your life expectancy has gone down, and the promise of your children's lives is likely gone. No one seems to care. It's not even a factor." He added that the U.S. government should prioritize "the welfare of its own people."
When asked if he would run as a presidential candidate for the nascent party, Carlson dismissed the idea. "I don't want to be a candidate," he said. He recounted that before a recent New York Times interview, someone warned him he would be asked about running for president. "I was very tempted to say 'I am running—on the pro-patriarchy ticket.' Just to make sure I gain no new fans," he joked.
Criticism of Two-Party System
Carlson accused the current political parties of being in "lockstep solidarity with each other," describing the system as "a one-party state posing as a democracy." He vowed to do everything he could to bring about a third party, saying, "it needs to be broken." Reflecting on his recent rift with the GOP, he noted, "that's the lesson of the last two and a half months, to me."
He directly called out President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, arguing, "If you vote for Trump and you still wind up in a regime-change war — if Chuck Schumer is strongly behind Trump's foreign policy, which he is — then we need options, or else let's just give up and be ruled by the most unscrupulous people." He added, "And I'm just too young to accept that. We need a third party."
Break with Trump and Republican Party
Carlson's public denunciation of the Republican Party came late last month. On the "Can't Be Censored" podcast, he stated, "I would not support the Republican Party, there's no chance. Not going to support the Democratic Party. I don't know what I'm going to do." The feud with Trump escalated after Carlson criticized the president's involvement with Israel, particularly the administration's actions in the U.S.-Israel joint military conflict with Iran. Trump retaliated by calling Carlson a "low IQ person" and attacking him with offensive memes on Truth Social.
Carlson, once a staunch Trump ally, has seen his relationship with the former president sour dramatically in recent months. His push for a third party marks a significant shift for the conservative commentator, who now seeks to challenge the political establishment he once championed.
