Woodstock, New York - Right-wing political commentator Tucker Carlson recently argued that President Donald Trump is indefinitely stuck in the war with Iran because he is a "hostage" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Carlson detailed how he had many conversations with Trump on the topic of Iran as far back as 2015.

Apparently, the politician's understanding of the massive implications of it was part of why Carlson supported him for so long.

But in early 2026, it became clear to Carlson that Trump was preparing for regime change.

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When the president spoke to him about Iran a week before launching the war, Carlson claims the president was not at all "enthusiastic" about it, and said he "felt he had no choice and that he was resigned to it."

Carlson recounted that from his perspective, no one in the administration was "pushing" for the war, and that "pressure" was coming from outside influence, including "donors and people with influence over the president."

He went on to argue that Trump was being "held hostage by Benjamin Netanyahu and his many advocates" in the US, such as billionaires and longstanding Israel supporters Rupert Murdoch and Miriam Adelson.

The commentator also took issue with Trump refusing to "criticize Netanyahu in public" after the leader continued bombing Lebanon in spite of an agreed-upon ceasefire.

"Are you joking? That's slavery. That is total control of one man by another," Carlson argued.

Carlson is a former Fox News host who pushed aggressively to help Trump get elected for both of his terms. But he has recently joined a number of notable MAGA figures and conservative commentators who have grown heavily critical of both the US's role in the Israel-Gaza war and Trump's war with Iran.

Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene – who was once one of Trump's most ardent MAGA allies in the House of Representatives – has also turned on the president, recently engaging in a public feud with him that led to her resigning from Congress.

On a recent episode of Carlson's podcast, Greene claimed Trump has surrounded himself with people that are "bought and paid for" by the Israel lobby, and do not represent the American people or their interests.