Fox News host Trey Gowdy took a none-too-veiled swipe at his former colleague Tucker Carlson and far-right podcaster Steve Bannon on Sunday night, claiming the MAGA isolationists represent the “pro-Putin wing” of the GOP and that they’ve been “begging” Donald Trump not to join Israel in its war with Iran.
During a Sunday evening interview with Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), who has long been critical of Carlson (and vice versa) and once even threatened to “kill” him, Gowdy referenced the unsuccessful efforts by Carlson and Bannon to push Trump away from bombing Iran – all while framing it as part and parcel to their criticisms of America’s support of Ukraine amid its three-year war with Russia.
“Congressman, there are few people I know who know the cost of war better than you do,” Gowdy noted. “So, you mentioned Ukraine, and there is a pro-Putin wing within the party.”
Without directly naming Bannon and Carlson, Gowdy continued: “There are two notable people, one a podcaster and one a former television show host, who literally were begging President Trump to let Israel go it alone.”
In recent weeks, Carlson – who was fired by Fox News in 2023 despite hosting its top-rated primetime show – and Bannon have been relentless in their criticism of the conservative cable giant amid Israel’s preemptive bombing campaign against Iran.
While warning Trump that going to war with Tehran could “end his presidency” because many “America First” supporters would feel he’s reneging on his promise of no more “forever wars,” the pair have torn into Fox News and its hawkish hosts for urging the president to take military action and push for “regime change” in Iran.
“What they are doing is what they always do, which is just turning up the propaganda hose to full blast, and just trying to knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet and make them submit to more wars,” Carlson told Bannon earlier this month.
Carlson also specifically called Fox News owner, and his former, boss Rupert Murdoch, as well as longtime Fox star (and Trump confidante) Sean Hannity and weekend host Mark Levin – with whom he’s been engaged in a bitter back-and-forth – of being “warmongers.”
Bannon, meanwhile, has gone even further with his broadsides against the top-rated right-wing network. During his War Room podcast on Friday and in comments to Semafor over the weekend, the former Trump strategist – who recently lunched with the president amid the intra-MAGA civil war over Iran – essentially accused Fox of being a paid Israeli proxy.
“People on the right are now confronting an unpleasant reality, a great unmasking: The Murdochs don’t put America’s interests first,” he told Semafor. “There needs to be a thorough FARA investigation into Fox’s relationship with a foreign power.”
Meanwhile, Trump has closely clung to Fox News as it’s pushed for direct military confrontation with Iran, all while dismissing Carlson because he no longer works for a cable news network – revealing that the president is still largely influenced by what comes across his TV screen, regardless of the role “manosphere” podcasters played in his electoral victory.
On the broadcast, Gowdy, who filled in as a temporary replacement host in Carlson’s time slot following Fox’s abrupt termination, went on to ask if there is “also a moral argument that strong nations should help those who are under attack.”
While Gowdy only implicitly referenced Carlson, Crenshaw made it explicit with his response by name-checking the former Fox News star.
“There’s certainly a moral argument, but those people don’t care about moral arguments, Trey. The argument you can make to them, which is valid, is the self-defense one,” the congressman declared.
Adding that the United States is the “true target of Iran,” Crenshaw insisted that the Iranian government was enriching uranium for nuclear weapons to use against America – claiming this is something Carlson and others aren’t taking into consideration. At the same time, Crenshaw seemed to hint that there was a hidden agenda afoot with Carlson’s anti-war commentary on Iran.
“What those people get wrong – and Tucker, like you mentioned, and I question their motives also and what’s causing these very strange opinions to be had,” Crensahw said.
“Put that aside for a second, what they don’t truly understand – they think we’re the ones in front of Israel. They think we’re the ones stopping Iran from destroying Israel. It’s the other way around! Israel is the first speed bump between us and Iran.”
Amid Carlson’s repeated shots at his former network in the run-up to war with Iran, Fox News hosts and commentators have largely steered clear of returning rhetorical fire on Fox airwaves at their ex-colleague – though Levin has repeatedly torn into Carlson during his radio show and on social media.
Gowdy’s “pro-Putin” swipe, meanwhile, would appear to reference Carlson’s extremely sympathetic stance towards Russia and its autocratic leader Vladimir Putin – especially after the Kremlin launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine back in 2022.
Carlson, whose pro-Russia monologues during the early days of the Ukraine War were promoted by the Kremlin, scored an obsequious interview with Putin himself – which has since been taught at Russian schools. During his trip to Moscow to speak with the Russian president, Carlson also filmed a number of propagandistic videos gushing over the nation’s grocery stores and subway system.
Meanwhile, since Trump decided to drop over a dozen bunker-busting bombs on Iran this past week, Carlson has remained radio silent and has not publicly commented on the strikes.
