Tucker Carlson Plans Third Party After Breaking with Trump
Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has announced he intends to help build a third political party, escalating his break with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party over the U.S. war in Iran. In an extensive interview with the Columbia Journalism Review published July 1, Carlson described the two-party system as a “one-party state posing as a democracy” that needs to be broken.
“We need a third party. I’m going to help build a third party,” Carlson told CJR. “There should be a good-faith effort to figure out what benefits the country.”
The Break with Trump
Carlson’s rift with Trump — a relationship that spanned decades, from their days as NBC television personalities through Carlson’s 2024 campaign endorsement — has been driven almost entirely by the Iran war, which began on February 28, 2026. Carlson met with Trump at the White House on three occasions in January 2026, warning him against attacking Iran. According to Carlson, Trump responded “I know” to his warnings but proceeded with military action anyway.
“I haven’t spoken to him since the regime-change war began,” Carlson said. “I’m not interested in talking to him. I feel sorry for him. He’s not a man in charge of his own life at this point.”
As USA Today reported, Carlson has become one of the most prominent anti-war voices in America, arguing that the conflict represents a regime-change effort led by Israel that violates Trump’s 2024 campaign promises to avoid “endless wars.” In April 2026, Carlson apologized for “misleading people” about Trump, saying he and other supporters were “implicated” in the war.
A Fractured GOP
On June 18, Carlson declared he was “out” of supporting the Republican Party after 35 years, saying “there’s no chance I would support the Republican Party” and accusing it of putting “the interest of a foreign country above those of its own citizens,” as USA Today reported.
He is not alone. Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has also announced she is in talks about starting a third party, describing it as a “true America-focused party.” The parallel efforts signal a significant fracture within the conservative movement, splitting between traditional establishment Republicans and a new, more isolationist faction that is deeply skeptical of foreign intervention.
No Presidential Ambitions — For Now
Despite the speculation that has long surrounded him as a potential presidential contender, Carlson made clear he does not want to be a candidate himself. “I don’t want to be a candidate,” he stated flatly.
Instead, Carlson framed his third-party push as a structural necessity. “On those questions [war and finance], the parties are in lockstep solidarity with each other,” he said. “That’s not a democracy. That’s a one-party state posing as a democracy, and it needs to be broken.”
Historical Precedent and Structural Hurdles
Third parties face steep obstacles in the U.S. political system. The winner-take-all electoral system, strict ballot access requirements, and fundraising challenges have historically doomed such efforts. The most successful modern example — Ross Perot’s 1992 independent campaign — won nearly 19 percent of the popular vote but no electoral votes.
More recently, tech executive Elon Musk vowed to launch a third party called “The American Party” in 2025 after a falling out with Trump, but never followed through after mending fences with the president, as USA Today noted.
Political Implications
A Carlson-backed third-party movement could have significant consequences for the 2026 midterm elections. Even a small share of Republican voters following Carlson into a new movement could swing close races to Democrats by splitting the conservative vote.
According to a New York Times/Siena poll cited in the CJR interview, nearly 60 percent of self-identified Republicans and Trump voters with a “very favorable” view of Carlson say they want the next Republican presidential nominee to take the party in a new direction — suggesting substantial appetite for the kind of change Carlson is proposing.
What’s Next
Carlson has not provided specific details about the structure, name, or timeline of the proposed third party. He acknowledged the difficulty of the undertaking but said he would “do everything I can to bring that about.”
The 2026 Iran war, now in its fifth month with no end in sight despite a preliminary peace deal announced by Trump in June, continues to be the driving force behind Carlson’s political transformation. Whether his third-party effort becomes a serious organizational movement or remains a rhetorical position will depend on his ability to translate his substantial media influence into the grinding work of building a political infrastructure — a challenge that has defeated virtually every third-party movement in modern American history.
As Carlson himself put it: “All I have is the power to talk and be heard. And though it’s borne no fruit so far, I remain hopeful.”