Tucker Carlson on whether Trump betrayed America First over the Iran war | The Economist

TL;DR

Tucker Carlson argues Trump betrayed America First by letting Netanyahu pressure the US into a war with Iran that serves Israel's interests, not America's.

Key Points

• 1.Tucker says Netanyahu pushed Trump into the Iran war. Carlson claims Netanyahu visited the White House seven times in one year and, along with major donors, pressured Trump into military action that contradicts his America First promises made repeatedly over 10 years on the campaign trail.
• 2.Carlson explicitly says Trump betrayed America First. He states the Iran war is 'contrary to what he promised, not once but countless times,' calling it potentially the 'inverse' of America First since no convincing argument exists that regime change in Iran benefits the United States.
• 3.The nuclear threat justification is dismissed as 'stupid' fear-mongering. Carlson argues Iran did not have nuclear weapons and the claim that Iran's nuclear program posed such a threat to the US that a full-scale war was needed three weeks ago is 'insulting' and unsupported by facts.
• 4.Carlson warns that declining public trust in elections could turn destructive. He notes collapsing support for Israel spans Democrats, conservatives, and young people, and argues that if citizens believe voting cannot change policy, they will resort to destructive means outside legitimate channels.
• 5.Carlson refuses to call himself a Zionist but says he does not seek Israel's destruction. In a tense exchange, he insists on universally applicable human rights standards, criticizes Israel for taking southern Lebanon during the Gaza war, and argues that calling critics anti-Semitic shields real wrongdoing and allows real anti-Semites to flourish.