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Internet personality Tucker Carlson clashed with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over Iran, with the two eventually shouting over each other in a teaser segment posted on X on Tuesday.
In the clip, Carlson ― who opposes the U.S. joining the conflict between Israel and Iran, earning the wrath of the GOP establishment including President Donald Trump ― asked Cruz for some basic facts about Iran, such as the population.
Cruz couldn’t answer.
“You don’t know the population of the country you seek to topple?” Carlson asked in disbelief. “How could you not know that?”
“I don’t sit around memorizing population tables,” Cruz said.
“Well it’s kind of relevant because you’re calling for the overthrow of the government,” Carlson said.
It only grew more awkward from there, as the two raised their voices.
“OK, I am not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran,” Cruz said.
“You’re a senator who’s calling for the overthrow of the government and you don’t know anything about the country,” Carlson fired back.
“No, you don’t know anything about the country,” Cruz replied as the two continued to go at it.
Carlson said he would post the full interview on Wednesday.
Story continues below video:
Cruz defended himself on X, sharing the clip and writing: “Yep, I stand with Trump. Iran can’t have a nuclear bomb. Make sure you tune in tomorrow.”
Carlson’s opposition to U.S. involvement earned him the ire of Trump, who called him “kooky” and mocked him for losing his Fox News show in 2023.
Carlson had been among the highest-rated hosts on cable news as he peddled conspiracy theories and white nationalist talking points. He and Fox News parted ways in 2023 after the right-wing network settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million related to repeated lies on the news channel about election fraud.
Carlson, who has admitted to lying to his viewers, was found in court documents to have some very different feelings for Trump than the ones he espoused on the air. In private messages from 2021, he said he “hates” Trump “passionately” and “can’t wait” to ignore him.
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Despite that history, he became one of Trump’s biggest boosters on the campaign trail last year, spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention and attended the inauguration.
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