Trump Breaks With Tucker Carlson, Says Podcaster 'Lost His Way' and Is 'Not Smart Enough to Understand'

President Trump declared that Tucker Carlson has 'lost his way' and is 'not smart enough to understand,' telling ABC reporter Jon Karl that the conservative podcaster is no longer MAGA and that he has known this for a 'long time.' The extraordinary public rupture between Trump and the man who was arguably the most influential voice in conservative media marks a dramatic escalation of a rift that has been building since Carlson began criticizing the Iran war and questioning aspects of the administration's foreign policy. Carlson's audience of millions had been a reliable amplifier of Trump's agenda throughout both terms, making the breakup not just personal but politically consequential. The split comes at the same time Trump's Heritage Foundation allies are dealing with mass resignations related to the Tucker Carlson fallout, suggesting the fault line runs deeper than a single personality clash. For the conservative media ecosystem, the question is whether MAGA can afford to exile its most gifted communicator -- or whether Carlson's departure from the fold will create an alternative center of gravity that challenges Trump from the right.