The editor-in-chief of The Economist, Zanny Minton Beddoes, interviewed Tucker Carlson, an important figure in the MAGA camp, discussing why he had a rift with the White House over the Iran war issue.

Beddoes: Do you think Trump betrayed "America First"?

Carlson: I think this war is exactly what he repeatedly promised not to do, and not just once, but many times.

The logic behind it not only violates "America First," but could even be considered the opposite.

There is no argument that proves changing the Iranian regime is beneficial to the United States.

If someone has such an argument, I would be very willing to listen.

By the way, if this argument is reasonable and persuasive, I would support it.

My only concern is America.

But I have never heard such an argument.

All I've heard is that boring nuclear weapons scare tactic, and Iran does not have nuclear weapons.

Trying to convince me with this kind of statement is actually an insult.

Saying that Iran's nuclear program posed such a huge threat to the United States just three weeks ago that we had to launch a full-scale war against it.

No one really argued that, because it's too absurd and the facts don't support it.

So why did we do it at that time?

Because Israel wanted to do so.

They chose this timing.

This is not denied by anyone.

And timing, whether in war or in life, is crucial and determines the outcome.

They didn't think through what would happen next.

The Israelis didn't, and neither did we, because we didn't have time to think.

Beddoes: It sounds like you think he did betray?

Carlson: This war clearly violated his promises, and also violated the idea that leaders should put their country's interests above foreign ones, that's all.

But we put Israel's interests above our own.

That's what Trump did.

Netanyahu is not my country's elected president.

My president is him, and I obviously support him, and I voted for him.

But the question is, the person who made the final decision, which is the President of the United States, whether he should have opposed it.

That's it.

Of course, of course, Trump should have opposed it.

Some past presidents have done so to some extent, although very limited.

George W. Bush did not oppose it.

And so we got involved in the Iraq War, and now everyone pretends it has nothing to do with Israel.

I was there at the time.

I talked to Bush.

That's not true.

That's a lie.

This is why it's so important to speak the truth before history is rewritten and erased.

It's these lies that have brought us here today. Because we always say, oh no no no, lobbying has no impact.

Really? Would we look at pharmaceutical policy that way?

No. Everyone understands that any major government policy, including our policies, is influenced by interested parties.

But only on this issue, we pretend: No, it has nothing to do with his biggest donors pushing him to do so, nor with Netanyahu's seven visits within a year.

Is this a joke?

I will no longer cooperate with these lies.

I don't hate Jews.

I don't hate Israel.

I love my country.

This has happened again.

I can list a long series of similar historical cases.

I think we need to figure out what happened so we won't continue to hurt ourselves.

Comment: Tucker Carlson directly pointed out that Trump's attack on Iran violated "America First," essentially putting Israeli interests above American national interests. The so-called "national security" is just an excuse for interest groups and external forces to manipulate policies, exposing the serious division within the MAGA camp.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860138037119049/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.