Full Exchange: Tucker Carlson's Bad-Faith Interview With Ted Cruz

Posted • June 18, 2025: For political junkies who cut their teeth on “60 Minutes,” “Meet the Press,” CNN, and Fox News, longform podcasts were a godsend. Finally freed of commercial restraints and surface-level superficialities, longform podcasts took you beyond the talking points, treating audiences to a deep dive of a topic’s intricacies. Even when the podcast host had limited knowledge of the subject matter (Joe Rogan, I’m looking at you), the benefit of the longform platform was that it facilitated an open-ended, free-floating conversation where both sides learned more about the other. But there was an important catch: It only worked when both sides were acting in good faith. You had to really, truly care about what they say. More than anything else, that’s the secret to Joe Rogan’s phenomenal success: He’s genuinely curious about his guests.

He doesn’t invite them on to mock them or belittle them. He’s not trying to settle stupid feuds, score points, or play a political game of “gotcha.” Instead, Rogan respects his guests and wants to learn more. That sure wasn’t Tucker Carlson’s approach during his astonishingly mean-spirited interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). The ex-Fox News host had absolutely no interest in hearing Cruz’s opinions or to better understand his (and President Trump’s) position on Israel, Iran, or anything else. His purpose wasn’t to have a grown-up conversation about grown-up issues, but to mock and belittle Ted Cruz so the video “goes viral.” “Oh, I don’t think I’m obsessed with Israel,” Tucker Carlson said… in a podcast where Israel was mentioned 140 times! […] Carlson responded with rudeness, condescension, personal attacks, and laughing in his face.

“No Iranian is ever going to kill me,” Carlson confidently claimed, bashing Trump’s policy towards Israel and Iran. (I guess Tucker is immune to radiation?) As many of you know, Carlson is spearheading a campaign to derail the most delicate, high-stakes foreign policy initiative of the Trump presidency: Supporting our ally, Israel, in its bid to defang the Iranian nuclear menace, while also keeping us out of another “Forever War.” Carlson is siding with AOC, Bernie Sanders, most of the Democrat Party — and the Russian/Iranian governments, too — by opposing Trump. (…)

• More at: PJ Media - The PR Fallout of Ted Cruz Versus Tucker Carlson: Yes, It’s Just as Bad as You Heard
https://pjmedia.com/scott-pinsker/2025/06/18/the-pr-fallout-of-ted-cruz-versus-tucker-carlson-yes-its-just-as-bad-as-you-heard-n4940942
Rumble: Tucker Carlson Can't Believe Sen. Ted Cruz Doesn't Know The Population Of Iran
https://rumble.com/v6v0cln-tucker-carlson-cant-believe-sen.-ted-cruz-doesnt-know-the-population-of-ira.html
Twitchy: Tucker Carlson Can't Believe Sen. Ted Cruz Doesn't Know the Population of Iran
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2025/06/18/tucker-carlson-cant-believe-sen-ted-cruz-doesnt-know-the-population-of-iran-n2414442