MAGA has launched an attack on Vice President JD Vance for praising a train wreck interview that sparked a civil war among right-wingers.
Speaking with The Washington Post on Thursday, Vance, 41, shared his views on a controversial interview between former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee that sparked a MAGA civil war and drew condemnation from at least 14 nations.
“I guess my takeaway is it’s a really good conversation that’s going to be necessary for the right, not just for the next couple years, but for long into the future,” Vance said, mentioning that he had not watched the full interview but has “seen a couple of clips here and there.”
Vance’s favorable reception of Carlson’s interview was quickly condemned by the MAGA faithful.
“Absolute disaster,” NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon commented on the vice president’s statement on X Thursday.
The highly criticized interview, which aired on Feb. 20, featured Carlson and Huckabee sitting across from each other as their views sharply diverged.
Carlson, who has frequently criticized Israel for its actions since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the ongoing war with Hamas—a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including those of civilians and children—pressed Huckabee on Israel’s right to claim territory spanning “essentially the entire Middle East.”
In response, Huckabee said that “it would be fine if it took it all.”
While Huckabee’s response was condemned by Arab and Muslim nations, Carlson was criticized by pro-Israel MAGA figures.
“During the interview, @TuckerCarlson disrespected President Trump multiple times and suggested he is ‘controlled by Netanyahu,’” far-right commentator Laura Loomer posted on X. She also responded to news of Vance’s comment that the interview was a “good conversation” with “No it wasn’t.”
Loomer has launched attack after attack at Carlson since his interview, and asked President Donald Trump, 79, to “condemn” the former Fox News host. She also called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to go after him for being, as she put it, a “national security threat.”
Yet despite Loomer’s call, journalist Jake Sherman reported that Carlson had been spotted at the White House on Monday. That was followed by the vice president’s comments on Thursday, applauding Carlson’s interview.
“JD Vance has chosen a side. And it’s the wrong one,” posted conservative writer Mike Coté in response to Vance’s interview answers.
The incident isn’t the first time Vance has defended a member of the Carlson family from right-wing attacks.
In November, Vance defended Carlson’s son, Buckley Carlson—who also serves as his deputy press secretary—after right-wing commentator Sloan Rachmuth claimed that racism and antisemitism were “a Carlson family trait.”
Asked what he appreciates about the political right, Vance told The Post that “even the people that I find annoying on our side” are willing to engage in “a real exchange of ideas.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
