President Donald Trump publicly distanced himself from longtime ally Tucker Carlson on Thursday, declaring in a blunt interview that the former Fox News host is no longer part of the MAGA movement.

In an interview with ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl, Trump did not hold back when asked about Carlson’s recent criticism of the administration.

“Tucker has lost his way,” Trump said. “I knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that.”

The sharp remarks come after Carlson blasted the Trump administration’s recent military strikes on Iran, calling the operation “absolutely disgusting and evil.” Carlson has also criticized the administration on several other issues in recent weeks, including the handling of the Epstein files and the war in Ukraine and giving into Israel and the Jews by attacking Iran.

Despite the criticism from Carlson and others, Trump insisted the military campaign against Iran has been a success.

“They are decimated for a 10 year period before they could build it back,” Trump said about Iran’s capabilities following the strikes.

Trump also dismissed the idea that criticism from prominent voices within conservative media is having any impact on him.

Earlier this week Trump also took aim at Kelly after she argued that “no one should have to die for a foreign country.” The president again pushed back on that criticism during multiple interviews on Thursday.

“I think that MAGA is Trump. MAGA’s not the other two,” Trump said, referring to Carlson and commentator Megyn Kelly, who has also criticized the Iran strikes. “MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I’m doing, every aspect of it. This is a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly.”

The comments triggered backlash from some figures previously aligned with the MAGA movement. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X that she stood with Carlson.

“I SUPPORT TUCKER,” Greene wrote. “Trump doesn’t even know what MAGA is anymore and turned it into MIGA,” referencing “Make Iran Great Again.”

Just before press time, Carlson responded publicly to Trump’s remarks but struck a noticeably softer tone.

“There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included,” Carlson said. “But I’ll always love him no matter what he says about me.”

The public break between Trump and Carlson marks one of the most significant rifts yet inside the broader MAGA political movement.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to JBN for updates as they happen.